Pokemon: Better, Faster, Stronger, Wiser
by NatNatWriter
Summary: This is how I think Ash's journey should have started. With Ash and Pikachu's relationship better than it started and Ash having a better knowledge and planned on what to do in his travels, our hero will set out and be the very best!
1. Chapter 1: A Different Start

**Chapter 1**

Ash stared at the yellow mouse in front of him that had materialised from a flash of golden light originating from the Pokeball. Its tail zing-changed like lightning and its cheeks were a bright, crimson red. The yellow mouse, a Pikachu, Ash concluded was small but held great power. Although Ash could not help thinking that he would have preferred a proper beginner Pokemon, a Pikachu would do just as well. After all, it was his fault he was late. He had gotten too caught up in a book to realise the time.

"Pikachu!" The Pokemon questioned and Ash could not help but smile.

"Hello, Pikachu, it's nice to meet you."

Beside Ash was a grey-haired ageing man, who wore a cotton white lab coat, red shirt and brown trousers. This man was Professor Oak and he was in charge of given trainers their beginners Pokemon. Unfortunately, this term there were four eleven-year-olds going on their journey and the elder man had only managed to obtain one of each beginner, a Squirtle, a Bulbasaur and a Charmander.

Professor Oak then began to speak, making his forgotten presence known to the Pokemon and its trainer. "As you said Ash, this is a Pikachu-"

However, Ash cut the Professor off, "The electric mouse Pokemon and when numerous of them gather together they can create lightning storms. Their electricity is generated from the red pouches on their cheeks."

The Pikachu in front of Ash blinked in bewilderment and Ash smiled once more, "My name is Ash Ketchum and, if you agree, I would like to be your trainer Pikachu."

The yellow Pokemon stared at Ash and tilted its head contemplation before saying slowly, "Pi-Ka."

"Great!" Then Ash offered to Pokeball to it and said, " Do you want to get back into the Pokeball or stay out."

In response, the mouse smacked the red and white ball from Ash's hand and it fell to the floor with a small clang.

"Excellent," cheered the grey-haired professor. "You are the perfect match for each other. At first, I was a little worried because of this Pikachu, in particular, is quite temperamental, which is shocking because most are very shy."

"I just think that Pikachu did not like being in the Pokeball much," commented Ash. "Don't I need my Pokeball's and Pokedex?"

"Ah, yes, I almost forgot. Here were go Ash," and the Professor gave the boy six empty red and white balls (not including Pikachu's) and a red Pokedex. This was because trainer could only hold up to six Pokemon at a time and the seventh ball would be used to capture extra Pokemon. This seventh Pokemon would be transported to the lab and another empty Pokeball would take its place.

"Thank you, Professor."

"That is quite alright Ash."

Ash and his newly acquired Pokemon began walking back towards his house to meet his mother and get ready for his journey, however halfway there the boy froze and smacked himself on the forehead.

"Pika?" The yellow mouse questioned.

"Sorry, Pikachu I forgot to scan you. How am I suppose to know what moves you know or not if I don't scan you with the Pokedex."

With that said, Ash took out the red box and flipped it open. Pressing down on a button the boy scanned his Pikachu. Then the Pokedex said in a male, robotic voice, **"Pikachu, the electric Pokemon. When several of this pokémon gather, their electricity could build and cause lightning storms. This Pikachu is male and has the ability static. Known moves: Growl, thundershock, quick attack and tail whip."**

Ash nodded in acknowledgement as he memorised Pikachu's move set and the two continued back home.

When home, Ash packed the last few things into his bag (including a few books with helpful tips) and waved goodbye to his mum. Delia Ketchum waved back with a small sob as she watched her baby go out into the world.

"Okay, Pikachu here is the plan, the first year is going to be training a capturing Pokemon. Going straight into gym battles may give us more experience, but if we don't have enough Pokemon for those battles then we will be turned away and if we don't have the skill then we will be running in blind. A plus would be that we can still practice by battling other trainers." Ash looked put at the Pokemon that had climbed onto his shoulder some time ago.

"Pikachu," the yellow mouse agreed.

The two then fell into an easy chatter getting to know one another. As Ash continued to asked Pikachu yes or no questions the yellow mouse's ears began to twitch. "What is it?"

Pikachu pointed in the direction where his ears had picked up the sound of falling footsteps and said, "Pika!"

"A Pidgey!" exclaimed Ash as he finally saw the Pokemon. "Okay, Pikachu, do you want to try battling it."

"Pikachu!" the Pokemon said, determination colouring its voice as it jumped from Ash's shoulder a few meters away from the bird Pokemon.

"Okay, Pikachu, start with quick attack and get close to it."

Instantly the Pikachu followed the command and was suddenly extremely close to the bird Pokemon.

"Now, thunder shock!"

Strong, bright yellow sparks filled the air around Pikachu and the Pidgey fell on its side, taken by surprise at the quick step-by-step attack Ash and Pikachu had initiated. Then, with a well-aimed throw, the Pokeball bounded off the Pidgey's body and the Pokemon was pulled into the red and white ball.

"Alright! Great work, Pikachu," Ash cheered happy at being able to catch his first Pokemon.

"Pikachu!" His Pokemon cheered with him.

With the sun shining brightly, Ash decided that he should take a break and treat the Pidgey he had just caught. So, finding a slightly shaded area, Ash called out the bird Pokemon and pulled the medicine from his bag.

"Pidgey, come here for a second," Ash said and with small bird slowly hopped toward the black-haired boy.

Ash gently ran his hand down the brown and white feather searching for any cuts and scrapes and, when he found them, he carefully sprayed them with antibacterial medicine. Then gave it an Oran berry to boost its energy.

"Pidgey," the healed bird cried out happily.

"Glad you're better," Ash laughed and took out his Pokedex.

 **"Pidgey, the tiny bird Pokemon. A common sight in forests and woods. It flaps its wings at ground level to kick up blinding sand. This Pokemon is a female and has the ability: Keen eye. It knows the moves tackle and sand attack."**

"Pidgey!" the small bird agreed.

"All we need to do now is capture four more Pokemon to have a full team and then we will start training. I beat if we went deeper into the forest we could find more."

Both Pokemon nodded and Ash pointed his Pokeball at Pidgey, asking her to return. The tiny Pokemon did so with no fuss, so the boy assumed that it did not mind being in it.

Walking across the luscious green grass, the trees slowly began to thicken around Ash and Pikachu and stretched out over the tops of their heads. Occasionally, the pair would hear a rustle of leaves but they saw no Pokemon.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a small purple blur jumped out of a long patch of grass and Ash sprang into action.

"Ready, Pikachu!" he said.

"Pika!"

"Okay, Pikachu, start with growl."

The Pikachu let out a threatening growl, deeper than its usual voice was and the purple rat trembled in fright, its limbs unwilling to move.

"Quick attack!" Ash shouted.

However, as the yellow Pokemon charged towards the Pokemon its legs suddenly came back to life and the creature jumped out of the way. Then on instinct, it tackled Pikachu in the side.

"Your okay Pikachu, shake it off," called Ash, more for support than to chide the Pokemon.

"Pika," Pikachu replied bouncing back from the attack as if the Pokemon had jump poked him with its cream colour paws.

"Use thundershock and follow it up with a tail whip."

The command was quickly followed and the smaller Pokemon did not stand a chance. As Pikachu executed the tail whip the purple mouse flew hard into a truck of a tree and collapsed unconscious onto the ground.

"Great! Go Pokeball," the black-haired boy threw the slightly enlarged ball at the Pokemon and, just as what happened with Pidgey, the small Pokemon was pulled into the ball.

Not wanting to waste all of his Pokemon medicine just yet, Ash decided to let the Pokemon sleep within its ball until he got to a Pokemon Center in order to heal it. Although, he did scan it: **"** **Rattata, the mouse Pokemon. Bites anything when it attacks. Small and very quick, it is a common sight in many places. This Pokemon is female and has the moves tackle, tail whip and quick attack."**

Once Ash looked up from his Pokedex and then down at Pikachu he could see the electric mouse looked tired. So, with a smile, the trainer took his bag off his back and reached in grabbing one of the several berries he had packed with him for the trip. He then gave it to the Pikachu, who promptly took it and climbed onto Ash's head.

"Should we keep going then, since we are doing so well," the boy questioned as he started walking at a slow pace.

"Pika," the mouse consented.

Ash and Pikachu spotted much more Pokemon such as Beedrill and Caterpie, but the two decided to let that Pokemon be. They had been wondering from the forest for some time before Ash had found the forest Pokemon he was looking for, a Mankey. Mankey had a pig-like nose and light brown hair that stood on its end, with chocolate brown paws and a flexible tail.

It was a fighting type Pokemon and was strong again normal, rock, dark and steel types. This, of course, Ash reasoned to be a great advantage when he would start battling next year.

"Okay, Pikachu this will be our last capture in the forest, then we will continue to the Pokemon Center to get Rattata healed.

"Pika," said the mouse Pokemon.

"Man-Mankey!" exclaimed the angry Pokemon as it hopped from one foot to the other.

"Pikachu, use thundershock, then quick attack."

The Mankey was hit by the thunder but successfully shook it off and dodged the secondary attack. The fighting Pokemon then kicked at Pikachu.

"Dodge it!"

Pikachu jumped into the air, causing the low kick to miss entirely, "Good, now, while you're still in the air, use tail whip."

"Pika!"

The tail whip hit many with more effectiveness than Ash could have hoped for, but the fight was far from over.

"Quick, Pikachu, use thunder again."

This time the electric yellow sparks hit the wild Pokemon head on and once the attack ceased it panted, starting to grow tired.

"Let's finish this with growl and then quick attack once more."

And just as Ash predicted the Pokemon fell to the ground exhausted and the trained captured the fighting type easily within its Pokeball.

"You did brilliantly, Pikachu."

"Pika- Pikachu," responded the mouse.

"Now let's get out of here!"

Once out of the forest, Ash and Pikachu continued on down the path that leads from Pallet town to Veridian city, the home of ground type Pokemon.

* * *

 **Apologies for any grammar and spelling errors, however, I do not have a beta and I have no desire for one. This is my first Pokemon fanfiction and I would appreciate any help or constructive criticism given.**

 **There are some things that I wish to inform you of and if you have more questions that I haven't answered, please ask away:**

 **Firstly, no I won't be naming Ash's Pokemon because the amount that Ash will be catching and training would make it very hard for me to name them, all. Also, I do not believe in favouritism so I will not name one or two of Ash's main Pokemon.**

 **Secondly, this fanfiction is going to be mostly based on the anime but may have hints of the game within it.**

 **Thirdly, Ash will not be capturing any of the legendary Pokemon such as mew or Ho-oh etc... That would just make the story ridiculous!**

 **Additionally, no the Pokemon will not talk and Ash will not be able to understand them beyond his ability in the anime, end of story.**

 **Chapter revised at 16/12/16**


	2. Chapter 2: Viridian City

_**Review from Story Stalkers:** Yes, in this story Pokemon will be able to learn more than four moves. However, there will be a reasonable amount. For instance, a Pokemon having 30 plus moves is way to unrealistic!_

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

The next morning showed Ash and Pikachu about a mile away from the city, walking along the path with green grass stretching out on either side of him.

It was a particularly sunny day and many grass type Pokemon had come out in the open to play. Ash already had an electric, flying, normal and fighting type Pokemon and when he saw an Oddish that was quite close to him, Ash could not help but think of the benefits a grass and poison type Pokemon could give him.

"Pidgey, I choose you!" Ash said throwing his Pokeball and in a burst of light Pidgey took to the air.

"Pidgey, use sand attack then tackle," ordered Ash.

The black-haired boy hoped to take advantage of the sudden attack by blindsiding the Oddish before attacking and it worked perfectly. Then as the purple Pokemon stumbled around in confusion Ash had Pidgey use quick attack once more, knocking the Oddish down before it could even defend itself.

Minutes later, Ash had his newly occupied Pokeball in his hand, along with Pidgey's. "You did amazingly," he told the bird knowing full well that the creature could hear him.

Upon arrival at Viridian City, Ash was stopped by a police officer wearing the official blue uniform and cap, and maybe a skirt too short to be deemed suitable (not like Ash noticed though).

"Stop right there! Can I see some ID, please?" Officer Jenny asked.

"Oh, sure," Ash muttered and took out his Pokedex, giving it to the woman.

" **I'm Dexter, I am a Pokedex programmed by Professor Oak for trainer Ash Ketchum of the town of Pallet. My function is to provide Ash Ketchum with information and advice regarding Pokemon. If lost or stolen I cannot be replaced."**

"Well, Ash, here you go." Officer Jenny smiled giving the boy his Pokedex back.

"Thank you," replied Ash politely before making his way into the city and towards the Pokemon Center.

The Pokemon Center wasn't hard to miss. No, it was a semi-cylindrical building with a red and white Pokeball on top, with half a dozen steps leading up to the multiple doors. The centre glowed with lights welcoming any and all Pokemon trainers, breeding etc into it.

"Hello, how can I hope you?" a soft, feminine voice spoke and Ash glance up to see a pink-haired nursed dressed in white.

"Hello, I would like you to heal my Pokemon if you can," requested the black-haired boy.

"Of course, if you just put your poke balls on this tray, I will take a look at them." The nurse then supplied Ash with a tray that had six circular indents on it. One for each Pokemon.

After giving the nurse his Pokemon, Ash then made his way to the phones. As the boy did, he noticed that there was some yellow tape blocking off one of the rooms that appeared to be damaged.

"What's that?" Ash inquired.

"Oh, last night, a couple of Pokemon thieves broke into the Pokeball storage room and did quite a bit of damage." Nurse Joy explained with a sad sigh. "Fortunately, I was able to transport all of the Pokeballs before they got inside."

"Thank God for that, I can't imagine what horrible things those thieves might have done if they were willing to steal injured and defenceless Pokemon."

"Me either," the pink-haired nurse agreed and then disappeared into the healing room.

Making his way over to a green, chunky machine, ash picked up the phone and dialled home.

"Oh, Ash! How are you? Did the start of your journey go well? Where are you at the moment?" Ash's mum began questioning him the moment she got on the phone. It was obvious to the young train that Delia Ketchum had only just woken up and when he looked at the cloak, the boy noticed that it was only 6:48 am.

"Sorry for calling so early, I just made it a Viridian city," Ash began sheepishly.

"Oh that's okay sweety, I'm just glad you are okay. I can't believe it took you less than a day to get to Viridian, it took you father four days when he started his Pokemon journey." Delia explained, grinning at her son through the video phone.

Ash rubbed the back of his head and continued, "I would have stayed in the forest a bit longer but I figured that if I wanted to catch and train many varieties of Pokemon then I should go to different cities. I mean, I saw lots of Pokemon I wanted to capture: Spearow, Weedle, Caterpie, Venonat-"

"That is great, Ash," Delia interrupted knowing that her son could go on and on about Pokemon if you gave him the chance. "So did you catch any Pokemon?"

"Yeah, Pikachu, and I managed to catch a Pidgey, Rattata, Mankey and Oddish.

"Oh, Ash you are doing great! I hope your changing you changed your underwear?" Ash's mother asked seriously.

"Yes," replied the boy slightly embarrassed.

"And you are eating properly?"

"Yes."

"Good, now I have to go sweety, love you?" And with that, Ash's mum ended the call.

For a second the boy stared at the screen, not sure what to do without his Pokemon. Already he wanted to get out of this centre and back on the road so he could catch even more Pokemon and start their training as soon as possible. Ash has had it all planned out for years. He would catch a minimum of six Pokemon before he started training, then he would travel around Kanto of a maximum for one year before entering into the Pokemon league. After competing, the boy would then set his sights of other regions, getting stronger and stronger until he will finally become a Pokemon master.

Suddenly, the sound of ringing broke the boy's thoughts and Ash turned towards the sound of Nurse Joy's phone ringing. Glancing around, Ash could not see the pink-haired woman anywhere and so decided to answering it first before going to find her.

Once the black-haired boy pressed the except button, he immediately recognised the voice of Professor Oak. Although, Ash could not say he recognised the back of the Professor's head. "Hello, Professor, um, I think you've got the wrong camera turned on."

"Oh!" the Professor laughed. "Oops, my mistake. One second-"

Then instead of Ash being faced with the grey mass of the Professor's hair, he was face to face with the man that had given him Pikachu. The Professor coughed, falsely clearly his throat to cover his embarrassment to his mistake.

"I just spoke to your mother and she said that you had made it to Viridian city, already. Is that correct?"

Ash tilted his head in confusion, hadn't he just spoken to his mother? With a quick look at the time once again the boy discovered that it was 7:04 am. Ash concluded that he must have been deep in though to lose about fifteen minutes of times when it only felt like a minute or two.

"If I wasn't in Viridian then how could I be talking to you?" Ash questioned the elder man.

"Oh, yes, right you are Ash," the Professor nodded to himself. "That is good, the other Pokemon trainer got there no problem and I am quite surprised you got there so soon."

"It wasn't that fast, after all, I was on foot when most trainers have a bike or, in Gary's case, a car," commented Ash.

"Right again Ash, Gary got to Viridian in mere hours, but sometimes slow and steady is the best way to go. I was a little worried about you and your Pikachu but was sure that you would be able to handle it. However, when I told my grandson he laughed and bet that you wouldn't arrive with a single captured Pokemon!"

Ash grinned at this, "Well then you won the bet, Professor, I caught four new Pokemon already. One more and then I am going to start training them."

"Excellent, Ash!" Then in the background, Professor Oak's door bell rang, "Ah, that is my pizza. Coming!"

As soon as the Professor left, the screen went black, Pokemon leaving Ash bored and waiting for Pokemon.

A while later, the bell at Nurse Joy's healing room dinged, and the woman walked out with Ash's newly healed Pokemon, all of whom (with the exception of Pikachu) were within their poke balls.

"There you go young man," the nurse handed Ash his five red and white balls.

"Thanks, Nurse Joy," the boy said remembering his manners.

"It was no trouble at all," then the nurse went over to another trainer that had just appeared through the front door. It was a girl with orange hair tied to the side of her head, a yellow t-shirt and blue shorts.

Ash turned away from the girl, not wanting to be called out for staring or something similar, and instead called out all of his Pokemon.

Just as nurse Joy claimed, his Pokemon we as good as new, or maybe even better than they were in the wild. Slowly, Ash took out his Pokedex and scanned his two resent catches.

" **Mankey, the pig monkey Pokemon. This Pokemon is extremely quick to anger. It could be docile one moment then thrashing away the next instant. This Pokemon is male and has the ability anger point. Moves: focus blast, leer, low kick, scratch and fury swipes.**

 **Oddish, the weed Pokemon. During the day, it keeps its face buried in the ground. At night, it wanders around sowing its seeds. This Pokemon is male and has the move absorb."**

Ash frowned at the Pokedex, if Oddish liked to stay underground during the day then why was it play in the grass a few hours ago. Ash filed this thought away for later references and looked at the Pokemon in front of him, "This is going to be great! All we have to do is capture one more Pokemon, Pikachu!"

"Pi-Pika," the small yellow Pokemon nodded.

"Hi, I'm Ash and I'm going to be your trainer," the boy announced and received calls of "Rattata!", "Man-key!", and "Oddish!".

"Now, let's get some food, I'm starving," the boy stretched out his back before heading towards the lunch room within the Pokemon Center. Ash grabbed a couple of sandwiches, one to eat now and the rest of later, and brought some specialised food for each type of Pokemon he had.

As he walked out of the Pokemon Center, Ash waved good-bye to nurse Joy who was trying to deal with the loud and obnoxious orange/red head.

Viridian city was home to ground types and thus had a ground type battle gym. Ash hoped to take a slow journey through the city and its borders and find a ground type Pokemon. Then training will begin.

Ash glanced left and right as he made his way away from the Pokemon Center. The sooner Ash caught his next Pokemon the better. Heck, he estimated it would take him a week to get a complete six Pokemon team, yet here he was with five in one day.

Eventually, the tall building gave way to the Viridian forest. This forest was different from the small trees that the boy had walked through when he journeyed towards the city. Yes, compared to this forest, the other one was just a small woods.

As far as the eye could see there were thick trucks for wood, most stood tall and proud, but some had tumbled over during a past storm. The leaves were a dark green that caused the shadows to darker further than normal. There was the distinct sound of wings flapping and unknown Pokemon calling through the forest and Ash could feel blood pump into his veins. He could spend forever in this forest hunting, battling and capturing the Pokemon that inhabited it, but he won't.

Ash wanted to be a Pokemon master and, in the young boy's mind, this meant having a diverse team of many different types of Pokemon. It also meant that the boy wanted to raise this Pokemon from there pre-evolution stages.

Rustling pulled Ash from his thoughts and the boy turned his head to the source. It was a Caterpie. This caused the boy to frown and his finger twitch slightly towards his Pokeball. He wanted to capture the Pokemon, but he couldn't. Or should he? After all, Ash didn't have bug types yet, so it was definitely added to the strengths of his team. However, if he captured this Caterpie then the boy would have to wait to visit the next city before he could trade it for another Pokemon he may or may not have caught.

"Okay, Pikachu let's catch it."

Taking a deep breath, the black-haired trainer made his decision and grabbed his Pokeball. At least this Pokemon was weak enough to not need any battling to capture. With this, though, Ash let the red and white ball spin out of his hand.

The ball contacted the bug Pokemon head and in a flash of light, it was captured. Ash stood there in silence as the Pokemon inside the ball tried to fight its way out. The white button flashed red... once... twice... three times and finally the fight was over. Ash had caught his first bug Pokemon, Caterpie.

Let the training begin.

"Okay, guys, come on out!" Ash tossed his five Pokeball's into the air and released his Pidgey, Rattata, Mankey, Oddish and Caterpie. "I said, I would start training when I caught a fall team of Pokemon and, now, with an addition of Caterpie, I have six Pokemon!"

As Ash said this he took out his Pokedex and scanned his new Pokemon: "Caterpie, the worm Pokemon. Its short feet are tipped with suction pads that enable it to tirelessly climb slopes and walls. This Pokemon is male and has the moves string shot and tackle."

All of the boys Pokemon cheered happily and turned toward the Caterpie, who blushed slightly at the attention.

"Glad you approve, guys. Right, I think we should work on our speed, endurance and strength first. So, first, we will do an hour long run, both sprinting at full steed and lightly jog. What to you say?"

Again the five Pokemon on the floor in front of him and Pikachu on his should, cheered and started towards the forest, leaving Ash to follow in their wake.

When it nearly came to the end of the hour, Ash shouted for the last time, "Sprint!", and all of the Pokemon and their trainer sped up from their jogging pace. It was a relief to all of them when Ash finally called for a five-minute break in which the boy gave his Pokemon a berry to eat and some water to drink.

Just by looking at the group you could tell that they were already exhausted, but extremely satisfied with what they had done. Therefore, when Ash called for them to find a stone that was a quarter of their weight and do press ups (or in Caterpie's case, to push to stone around), the Pokemon made no complaint.

By the time both trainer and Pokemon had finished, it was near afternoon. So Ash took out one of his previously brought sandwiches and his purchased Pokemon food, the group began to feast with vigour.

Of course, Ash was so concentrated on his food that he did not notice his Caterpie run towards the path in excitement. In fact, it was not until the boy heard a familiar, painfully loud scream of "BUG!" reach his ears.

Glancing up, Ash asked, "Where's Caterpie?"

Pikachu began to speak pointing towards the direction of the continued screams and Ash guessed that his green worm-like Pokemon was the cause of it.

When Ash was finally close enough to see what was going on, he was not shocked to see the red head from the Pokemon Center.

"GET THIS DISGUSTING BUG AWAY FROM ME!" she shrieked loud enough to make Ash's ears bleed.

With an irritated frown at the girl, Ash pointed his Pokeball at Caterpie and called for it to return. The Pokemon did grudgingly.

"That was very mean, you know," Ash said as he watched the girl slump down against a tree.

"I hate bug! Bugs are the three worst things in the world!" Grumbled the eleven-year-old.

"Bug Pokemon have feelings too! What would you do if a screamed at your Pokemon calling them disgusting and creepy," Ash grated out and this stopped the girl from her blabbering non-sense. With a sigh, Ash rubbed the back of his neck in annoyance.

The next thing the boy did surprise both Pokemon trainers. He strolled over to the orange haired girl and held out his hand to help her up. "But I guess it is partly my fault since a did not keep a closer eye on it," admitted the boy.

However, the girl said nothing in return.

"Well, I best be going. It was nice meeting you, Miss Red-head," commented Ash. As he turned away from the girl, the boy didn't notice the red vein that suddenly appeared on the girl's forehead in anger.

"I AM NOT RED-HEAD! MY NAME IS MISTY!"

This time Ash said nothing at the girl's comment and continued but to his camp in order to pack up and leave.

When Misty was finally left alone, her anger and annoyance melted away. Although, upon hearing the rustling of grass and the moving of possible bug Pokemon around her, Misty's face went dramatically pale and she shouted after the boy, "Hey! Wait for me, I'm coming with you!"

* * *

 _ **YAY! 2 chapters for the price of one and I am still going!**_

 _ **Make sure to review because I love reading what you have to tell me (and I want tonnes to make my story look good;-D)**_

**Chapter updated: 16/12/16**


	3. Chapter 3: The Samurai

_**Review from Dyn4mic Duo:** Thank you for highlighting the grammar problem in chapter 2, it has now been changed. Also, thanks for the help with this chapter as well!_

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

Ash continued walking through the forest, sighing sadly. How did he end up in this position? He questioned himself and he peaked at the tall, skinny girl walking beside him. At least she was quite, but the black-haired boy doubted that would last for long.

Night fell and Ash lay down in his sleeping bag after once more training with his Pokemon. He was hoping short yet frequent bursts of training would help his Pokemon improve and then he would increase the time running and a number of push-ups. After that would be target practice.

The next morning sunlight filled the open space in which Ash, Misty and Pikachu slept, causing the boy to blink awake At the same time, the small yellow mouse that slept beside the boy also woke and the two proceeded to stretch out, feeling their joints and bones crack and pop from disuse.

"Okay," Ash said throwing off some clothes. He then released all of his Pokemon once more and continued, "Let's start with our run, the same as yesterday."

The Pokemon and trainer quickly jumped into action, however Caterpie glanced at Misty's sleeping form with pleading eyes.

"Come on, Caterpie!" shouted Ash from the trees.

"Pi-Pikachu!" the yellow mouse shouted beside his trainer.

Then the bug Pokemon rushed towards its team, leaving behind that orange-haired girl and she shifted in her sleep.

It was while Ash and his Pokemon were walking back from the morning's training that he heard a high pitched, feminine cackle. As the boy peeked through the bushes he saw a woman with dark red hair and pale skin. If he had to guess then he would estimate her age at about twenty-five. She wore black gloves and leather black, thigh-high boots, with a white skirt and a white t-shirt. On the shirt was a bright red capital 'R'.

Next to her was a man, probably about the same age as the woman. He had periwinkle blue hair and wore the same outfit as the woman with the exception of him wearing trousers instead of a skirt.

In front of the two was a Meowth that stood off two legs and, much to Ash's surprise could talk.

With a shake of his head, Ash dismissed the odd-looking group, as the word crazy circled around his head. The boy then continued back to camp to find Misty wide awake and ready to go.

"Well, what is taking you so long, let's go!" spoke the irksome girl. She smirked at Ash as she hitched the strap of her blue bag up onto her shoulder. She wore the similar clothes as she did yesterday and the same frown that he always saw her with when she was upset about something. Probably being in a forest full of bug Pokemon.

The two trainers and Pikachu walked, once again, down the forest path. Misty chattering on about how the forest was filled with disgusting, slimy bug Pokemon.

Ash was extremely relieved when an unknown person, dressed as a samurai, jumped out at them. "Greetings oh shrieking maiden. Are you by any chance the Pokemon trainer from Pallet town?" asked the samurai.

"No," said Ash rather calmly, despite the realistic sword pointed at them. "That would be me."

"Alas, my search has come to an end. I challenge you, the trainer from Pallet town, to a Pokemon battle."

Ash smiled at the idea of his Pokemon first experience at an actual battle and readily excepted the challenge.

"It will be a two on two battle with no substitutes," stated the samurai, taking one of his poke balls from his belt. "Pinsir, assume battle mode!" From the Pokeball appeared a large brown armoured body with white pincers that had sharp thorns.

Ash looked at the Pinsir, his mind immediately trying to think of the best Pokemon a battle with. Pinsir's are bug types so are weak against flying, rock and fire types. Therefore, Ash summarised that using Pidgey, a flying type, would be the best choice he could make. He could play the Pokemon flying type moves to his advantage and maybe even have the bird gain some much-needed experience. However, the one disadvantage was that Pidgey only knew two moves: Sand attack and tackle.

Ash mentally shrugged his shoulders. His Pokemon was not going to get stronger if they did not have a challenging fight.

"Pidgey, I choose you!" Ash threw his Pokeball and in a burst of light the small, brown bird Pokemon appeared. "Give it your best."

"Pidgey," the Pokemon nodded enthusiastically.

"I'll go first," shouted the samurai. "Pinsir, tackle it!"

"Pidgey, dodge!"

To the samurai's surprise, the bird Pokemon was fast as it shot up into the air and dodged the attack with ease.

"Now, our turn. Pidgey, tackle Pinsir!"

"Vice grip, Pinsir!"

Quickly the bug Pokemon had its sharp pincers wrapped around Ash's Pidgey squeezing it.

"Pidgey, use your wings and try to escape!" shouted Ash.

Immediately, the bird Pokemon began to stretch and flap its wings. To an outsider, it may have looked like Pidgey had gone into a pain, but in actuality the random movements caused the Pinsir's grip on it to loosen enough for the brown bird to break free, into the sky.

"Pinsir, use tackle!"

Ash watched as Pinsir begin its attack on Pidgey. Ash was about to shout for the bird to dodge, but the Pokemon inside threw its wings across its body into an 'X' shape. Pinsir, not expecting an attack as its targets train had yet to say anything, was taken off guard and received a large amount of damage.

"Air Cutter!" Ash exclaimed happily. "Great, Pidgey, that must have been an egg move."

"Pidgey!" shouted the Pokemon.

The attack caused the Pinsir to stumble to the ground, tired.

"Pinsir, return!" called the Pokemon trainer, pointing the Pokeball at it. "Very good, you are a worthy opponent indeed." He then took out his second Pokeball and threw it, revealing a Metapod.

Ash instantly called Pidgey to return and took out his next Pokemon. "Mankey, it's your turn!" Ash said as he threw the Pokeball.

"Man-Mankey!"

"Start with fury swipes!" Ash continued.

"Harden," ordered the Samurai, making the fury swipes ineffective.

Ash mentally cursed, he had forgotten about Metapods ability to harden its forest green cocoon. "Mankey, use leer, then follow it up with focus blast!"

And that was how the battle ended, leaving Ash as the victor. This time at least.

"It was a good battle, what is your name?" The samurai asked after recalling his Metapod.

"Ash Ketchum, it was great to finally let my Pokemon have a real match with another trainer," the black hair boy said rubbing the back of his head.

"Yeah, Ash, that was a great battle," Misty commented.

Hours later, Ash, Misty and Pikachu finally find their way out of the Viridian forest onto a rocky path. Rocks of various shades of grey towered above them to their left. As Ash stared up to the rocks, he saw a small stone fall off one of the narrow pathways above him.

Adrenalin pumped through the boy's veins and, without any acknowledgement of the orange haired girl beside him, Ash began to climb up the rocks.

"Ash, what are you doing? Are you crazy?" screamed Misty as she witnessed her travelling companion climb higher and higher. But the boy did not listen to Misty and she continued her angry and frightened shouts towards him.

It wasn't until Ash had hoisted himself up onto the narrow path that she breathed a sigh of relief.

However, relief wasn't what Ash felt as his feet once again were safely on the ground. This was because right in front of the boy, mere meters away from him, was a Rhyhorn. This Pokemon equalled Ash his height but that is where the similarities stopped. Its body was covered in thick rock-like armour and it had bright, menacing, red eyes. The Pokemon also had a small horn on the tip of its nose.

Rhyhorns weaknesses are water, grass, ice, fighting, ground and steel type Pokemon. This meant that Ash would have the advantage if he used Oddish or Mankey. However, Ash had already used Mankey and he would still be tired from their earlier battle with the samurai. Oddish, on the other hand, only knew one move, absorb, and Ash was not ready to risk battling with it before it knew the second move. Therefore Ash went for his second best option.

"Caterpie, I choose you!" Ash shouted releasing the small, worm Pokemon. "Quick, use string shot to shot Rhyhorn from moving."

Caterpie instantly complied with Ash's order and it was not long before the larger Pokemon was wrapped, immobilised, in a thick cover of webbing.

"Great, now use tackle."

As the worm Pokemon charged in for the attack, the Rhyhorn had torn itself free from the string short and hit Caterpie with its horn, effectively rendering the Pokemon unconscious.

"Caterpie, return!" Ash then said gently to the Pokeball in his hand, "You did really well. Don't worry we will get him!"

"Pikachu, are you ready?"

"Pika!" growled the yellow Pokemon as he jumped from his trainer's shoulders.

Just as the Rhyhorn stomped ferociously towards the two, Ash said, "Okay, start off with quick attack and then follow up with a tail whip."

"Pi," Pikachu nodded its understanding.

Then the small Pokemon charged at the Rhyhorn, dodging its sharp, deadly, nose and attacking its underbelly.

"Good, now use thunder shock on the rocks above Rhyhorn," Ash pointed to the place he meant and Pikachu readily sent a powerful thundershock towards them.

Quickly, the rock above the Pokemon tumbled down onto it, effectively injuring and trapping the Pokemon in place.

"Quick attack and tail whip, one more time!"

As Pikachu began to bring its tail down onto Rhyhorn, it suddenly began to glow. However as quickly as the glow appeared it disappeared, leaving a very bewildered Ash to think about what had just happened. Although this thought was pushed aside so that the boy could concentrate on throwing his Pokeball and capturing his first ground and rock type Pokemon.

"Pokeball, go!" shouted Ash and in a stream of bright light, Rhyhorn was sucked into the red and white ball.

The Pokeball rocked back and forth, almost violently, as the red light blinked indicating the fight that the Rhyhorn was putting up. Nevertheless, a minute later, the Pokeball stilled and stopped flashing. Ash had captured a Rhyhorn.

* * *

 _ **Thanks for reading and I really hope you liked it.**_

 _ **Please review, I would appreciate some opinions on what Pokemon you would like Ash to catch. Also, I was planning on having Ash leaving Misty in Cerulean City, what do you think? Yay or Nay?**_

 __ **Chapter updated: 16/12/16**


	4. Chapter 4: The Moonstone

_**Review from palletship87:** I am going to have Ash travel to other regions (like the _ Pokemon _anime). The only difference will be that Ash will start collect badges a year after his journey started. I probably won't have Ash catch a Riolu since many stories have had him do so,_ however, _I like the idea of Ash having a Zorua - So, yes I am going to have him catch on, but not yet._

 _ **CereNamikaze:** I will definitely have Ash catch some of the Pokemon on your list but not all because I do not want to overrun the story with them. However, Ponyta, Togepi, Eevee and a Shiny Pokemon will be a yes. After all, like you said, Ash totally deserves Togepi._

 _Finally, I am happy to announce that Misty will be left at Cerulean City - I never really liked her (as you can probably tell from how I described her._

 _I would also like to add that, at some point in Ash's journey, Team Rocket will try to come after Ash and Pikachu. But I am not entirely sure when because the timeline is a little different._

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

Ash was slightly disappointed when the Pokeball containing his newly acquired Rhyhorn vanished in his hand but knew that the strong Pokemon was with Professor Oak. So, with a sigh, the boy slowly began to climb back down the miniature, rock mountain, towards a peeved red-head.

"Why did you go and do that Ash? You could have been hurt, or worse! You could have fallen to your death!" shouted the girl.

It took all of Ash's control not to rip the girls head off and leave her on the side of the path, continuing his journey in peace. However, Ash's mother raised him with more manners than that and he could not leave the girl alone... Or be charged with murder, for that matter.

"Oh, wow. Look, Ash, we made it to Pewter City," Misty exclaimed and pointed to the city beyond the rocky path in which they had been walking. "I thought we would never be could of that creepy forest."

Ash just grunted his acknowledgement that that red-head had spoken and continued walking on.

"Pewter City is grey, the color of stone. This town had always been famous for its stone," muttered a mysterious voice from the side of the path.

"And you are?" Ash asked.

"Pika," the yellow mouse on the boy's shoulder also tilted its head questioningly.

"My name is Flint," said the man in a gruff voice.

Ash now took a longer look at the man. He had dark tanned skin as if he had spent most of this life outside and a long, shaggy beard that covered most of his facial features. His hair was a deep, chocolate brown but was mostly hidden under a red woolly hat.

Look up, the black-haired boy noticed that on a shelf where rocks of different shapes and sizes. All of them we priced, ranging from £25 to £600.

"You sell rock," Ash raised his eyebrow.

"They are Pewter City souvenirs. Do you want to buy some?" the man asked seriously.

"Eh, no thank you," Ash said trying hard not to let his jaw drop at the thought of the man actually selling rocks to people. Who would be stupid enough to do such a thing? "Well, I should be going. My Pokemon is exhausted from our travelling. Do you know where the Pokemon Center is?"

Suddenly, Ash was grabbed from behind by Misty and the girl hissed into his ear, "Ash, what are you doing telling this weirdo where we are going? He could be a stalker of a criminal for all we know."

"I a sure he is perfectly safe," commented the girl before he shrugged out of Misty's grip.

"I can show you the way if you like," the elder man stood up.

"That would be very helpful, thank you."

The Pokemon Center in Pewter city was much different for the Viridian City Center. Instead of being a hemisphere, this Center stretched taller and had a circular viewing box at the very top. The Pewter Pokemon Center also had many windows that let light stream into the building from all directions at all times during the day.

"Hello, nurse Joy," Ash said to the pink-haired woman as he entered the Center with Flint and Misty. "Can you revitalize my Pokemon, please."

"Of course, young man," said the nurse and, just as the nurse Joy in Viridian city had done, this nurse Joy gave the black-haired boy a tray to place his Pikachu and Pokeball on. "While you wait, why don't you take a look at that poster," the woman jutted her chin in the direction of a poster announcing the Pokemon regional championship league.

However, to the nurse's surprise, the boy shook his head. "No, thank you, nurse Joy. I just started my journey so I want to take a year to capture, train and bond with my Pokemon."

"That is a very sensible thing to do," the nurse nodded in approval.

As Ash waited for his Pokemon, the boy decided to go and get something to eat. So a little while later found our trainer sitting in the cafe eating a ball of rice with seasoned fish and vegetables. It was the first real meal he had eaten in a while.

It wasn't long before the boy retrieved his Pokemon and was on his way once again.

As Ash and Pikachu, followed by Misty continued their journey a scream echoed through the forest.

"Look, over there!" cried Misty and Ash quickly ran in the direction the scream originated from.

To their surprise the two travelers found a man in a white lab coat curled on the grass being attacked by a cloud of Zubats.

"Pikachu, thunder shock!" shouted Ash.

The purple Zubats shrieked in pain as the were hit by the electric attack and, while most of them fled, a couple of the Zubat collapsed onto the ground, unconscious.

"Pokeball, go!" Ash said as he threw the Pokeball at the nearest bat Pokemon. Then, after the bat was safely within the red and white ball, Ash's eighth Pokemon disappeared to Professor Oak's lab in Pallet town.

Ash huffed in frustration at this. How could he make all of his Pokemon strong when his had barely met and assessed his captures beyond that of battling and catching them.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch!" muttered the man as he still lay there on the floor, face down. Then, suddenly, he was up and hugging Ash. "You guys were so great, amazing! Thank you!"

"Why were the Zubat attacking you, Mister?" Ash asked looking up at the tall, brown haired man.

"Never call me Mister, my name is Professor Seymour, I am a scientist. And you see, someone put lights in the cave and the Pokemon, like Zubat, need the dark. Without it they get confused-"

"And that is why the Zubat were out during the day," concluded Ash with a nod.

"Exactly," said Professor Seymour in agreement. "Look, I'll show you."

The Professor then began to lead Ash, Misty, and Pikachu into the cave that the Zubat vanished into. As he said, lighters were strung up onto the walls, ensuring that not even a single crevice was left in darkness.

As the small jump ventured deeper into the cave they came across Paras, the bug and grass type Pokemon.

"See, the Paras are planting their mushrooms everywhere and the Sandshrew are being dried up by the hot lights. That is why I am here - to put a stop to the trouble makers that are attacking the cave."

"What trouble makers would want to attack caves?" questioned Misty stubbornly.

"It is probably because of the moonstone," Ash answered.

"Pika?" the yellow mouse asked.

"A moon stone is centuries old and is said to be deep in a cave, though no explorer has ever found the cave. It is said that the moon stone comes from space and many scientists have studied its fragments and it was found that a moon stone can greatly enhance a Pokemon's power," continued the Professor.

"Oh, look at that cutie!" exclaimed Misty, breaking the Professor from his serious speech.

The creature she saw was a small, pink, round Pokemon with tiny wings and, in its equally tiny hands, it held a stone.

"Clefairy! Clefairy!" whispered the Pokemon as it skipped past them. Eventually, the whispers died as the Clefairy moved further and further away from them.

Until the Pokemon shouted of alarm caught the groups attention and everyone began to run it that direction. Ash, Pikachu, Misty and the Professor soon came to find the Clefairy shivering in fear cornered by a Meowth. A talking Meowth. The same cat Pokemon that the boy has seen in the forest some days ago.

"What are you kids doing here?" snapped the Meowth.

"Looking for trouble makers like you, apparently," Ash said in a monotone. "Where are the other two people within you crazy, troublesome group?"

As Ash questioned the Meowth, Pikachu jumped from his shoulder and went over to the Clefairy, soothing the frightened Pokemon.

"Trouble?" announced a feminine voice.

"Better make that double," continued a second masculine voice.

"To protect the world from devastation,"

"To unite all people within our nation."

"To denounce the evils of truth and love,"

"To extend our reach to the starts above."

"Jessie."

"James."

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light,"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight."

"Meowth, that's right!"

"They're even crazier than I thought," muttered Ash causing the three 'criminal's' sweat to drop.

"They sure are show-offs," nodded Professor Seymour.

"Got that right," grumbled Misty darkly. "Isn't team Rocket the team that tried to break into the Viridian City Pokemon Center... and failed."

The three members of team Rocket collapsed to the floor at the insult. However they bounced straight back up saying, "Your just jealous, girl because you can't join us."

"Like we would ever join you," shouted Misty in her typical loud voice.

"Exactly," smirked Ash. "After all, only weak trainers would seek a moon stone to power up their pokemon rather than make their Pokemon stronger by themselves."

"Now we've had it, boy," shouted Jessie. "Ekans!"

"Koffing, go!" James called.

"Caterpie, Pikachu! Let's go!" retaliated Ash and the four Pokemon stood in front of each other.

"Caterpie, string shot on Koffing! Pikachu, tackle Ekans."

"Koffing, smog attack," yelled James, but it was too late. Caterpie's string shot was already covering the poison type Pokemon.

At the same time as James' order, Jessie also commanded, "Ekans, bit!"

"Dodge it, Pikachu! Great now use, thunder shock on both Koffing and Ekans!"

Instantly golden yellow sparks burst towards team Rockets pokemon and the poison and snake Pokemon fell to the floor with spiraled eyes.

When the battle was over Team Rocket fled leaving Ash and the group within the cave. It took the rest of the day to find the energy source that powered the lights and to take them down from the cave walls. However, the pokemon inside were immensely happy for the change.

As the sun was setting, Ash continued to train his Pokemon. With all of the training that Ash and his pokemon had done over the week: Oddish had learnt to endure, Pikachu and Pidgey had learned agility and Caterpie had learned bug bite making it close to evolving. This made Ash even more determined to have Caterpie fight in the next battle.

It was nearly nightfall and Ash and his pokemon were enjoying a nice meal while Misty set up her sleeping bag at a 'safe' distance from Caterpie, Ash's bug pokemon. Clefairy had decided to stay with the group and was chattering happily with Pikachu as the two ate.

"Pi-Pika," said Pikachu.

"Clef- Clefairy Clefairy- fairy," the pink Pokemon spoke enthusiastically.

Then suddenly the fairly pokemon took off, leading the group through long, dark grass and towards what looked like another cave. It looked ominous, like a black void that dared no one to enter it. But they did.

Eventually, the long, rocky cave widened into a huge open area, which had no ceiling. In the center of the space was a glimmering stone. The moonstone core.

Unaware of their awe, Clefairy continued towards the massive moon stone and place the small stone, that it still had clutched in its hands, in the circle around it. The smaller moon stone circle then began to light up filling the darkness with an unearthly glow. Soon after, the moon stone core also began to glow brightly.

Clefairy came from multiple cave entrances towards the moon stones smiling with glee.

"There are so many of them," said a stunned Misty.

The small, pink, fairy Pokemon then welcomed the group of humans and began to dance around the moonstone rising up into the air. With the full moon shining above them, it was the beautiful sight and many people would be jealous at what Ash, Misty, Pikachu and Professor Seymour were seeing.

"Amazing," pondered the Professor. "It seems as if these Clefairy have created their own society."

"Unfortunately, their little society won't last long," snickered a voice that Ash instantly recognized as Jessie from team Rocket.

"Not you again," moaned the boy as the team ignored him and went into their horribly, over used the slogan.

"Caterpie, Mankey, I choose you!"

"Koffing, Go!"

"Ekans!"

Once again it was a face off between Ash and team Rocket.

"Caterpie, string shot."

"That won't work this time you little brat," shouted Jessie. "Ekans use wrap."

"Caterpie!" exclaimed the Pokemon as the snake squeeze its body.

"Mankey, focus blast on Koffing. Caterpie, bug bite!"

The two attack hit and damaged Ash's targets and effective released Caterpie from Ekans tail.

Then, just as Ash hoped, Caterpie began to glow and shoot string, creating a green cocoon around itself.

"Great job," Ash shouted before calling Metapod to return. "Pikachu are you ready?"

"Pika!" called the yellow pokemon as it took a battle stance beside Mankey.

"Okay, Mankey, do a double low kick, one at Koffing, the other at Ekans. Then Pikachu follow with thunder."

"Man!" said Mankey the pokemons eyes glittering darkly.

"Pika," said Pikachu as sparks crackled from its electric pouches in its cheeks.

With Pikachu's final electric attack team Rocket was sent flying into the sky, and hopefully as far away from Ash as possible. However as the criminal group went, Ash thought he heard, "I swear that is no ordinary Pikachu!"

* * *

 **Chapter updated: 16/12/16**


	5. Chapter 5: Cerulean City

_**Review from CeresNamikaze:**_ Don't worry team Rocket won't be an overly reoccurring part of the story, however I would like Ash to battle with them every now-and-again. Also because Ash isn't participating in the Pokemon League, he hasn't met Brock yet. I am planning on having Ash travel mostly alone for the first year and then Brock and maybe an OC will join him in the next year.

 _ **palletship87:**_ I think a shiny Gyarados is a great idea. I was planning for Ash to catch a Magikarp and evolve it, so thanks for the idea!

Also, it was pointed out to me the focus energy isn't a damaging move, so, as requested by Dyn4mic Duo, I have changed it to Focus blast.

Chapter 5

Once Ash and Misty left Professor Sycamore with the Clefairy and Cleable they continued on the path towards Cerulean city.

"Why are you still with us, Misty? I thought you would have gone as soon as we left the Viridian forest," asked Ash as the glanced at the orange-haired girl.

"Pikachu," nodded the electric mouse from its place on Ash's should.

Misty huffed and folder her arms over her chest, "Well, I would have left you behind but what would the point be? I am heading towards Cerulean city and so are you."

Ash quirked his eye brown, "Who says I am going to Cerulean city?"

"Nobody, but the fact that you have no water pokemon and the city is famous for them gave me a good idea." Misty beamed in pride at her excuse for tagging along with the black-haired boy. However, the truth is, she found him to be a very interesting trainer and had enjoyed travelling with him.

"Fine," resigned Ash. "I was planning to go to Cerulean city."

"Good, and when we get their I will lend you one of my fishing rod if you want," Misty suggested.

"Really?" asked Ash in disbelief.

"I am polite you know and I am capable of saying thank you, you know." The redhead said sarcastically, dragging out both of the 'am's' in her sentence.

"Of course, I would appreciate the help," nodded the boy with mock seriousness.

A few days later found the two pokemon trainers and Pikachu at a cross road. The left road lead to Celadon City and the right road lead to Cerulean city, and, wasting no time, the boy, girl and Pikachu began walking towards Cerulean City. The trio didn't even notice the scribbled message left by Gary Oak.

The sun shone brightly as the tiny common pokemon types began to awake from their nights sleep. The air was still cool, not yet warmed by the morning sun's rays.

Upon arriving at Cerulean city, Misty brought Ash towards the river that ran around half of the city and taught him how to fish for water types pokemon.

The two sat there for hours until Ash felt something pull on the hook of his rod. With a smile, the black-haired boy began to reel in whatever pokemon had bitten down on his hook. With a final pull, a fish pokemon burst from the water.

"Ash!" Misty gasped. "That is a shiny Magikarp."

"I know," said Ash as he looked down at the golden pokemon with white fins. It was completely different from the brigght red Magikarps usually found in the river.

Ash quickly brought out his Rattata and, as the Shiny Magikarp attempted to attack it, the boy ordered his pokemon to used Quick attack.

The weak pokemon was fast to be knocked out and Ash threw his red and white pokemon at the Magikarp.

"Nice work, Rattata. Return!" said Ash as he pointed Rattata's pokeball at the purple mouse pokemon.

"Maybe you should fish for a bit longer, see if you can catch another pokemon," commented Misty. "After all Magikarp is a pretty useless pokemon until it evolves."

"Hmm," Ash hummed and once again began to fish.

By the end of the day Ash had catch five ordinary Magikarp and two Goldeen which the boy immediate threw back into the river. However, just as he was about to pack up there was another tug at Ash's fishing rod, stronger than that of a Magikarp or Goldeens. The boy reeled it in grinning widely, his mind racing with what he might have caught.

When the water pokemon broke through the waters surface, Ash found himself face to face with a Poliwag, the tadpole pokemon. This pokemon would be very useful in battle.

"Oh wow, a Poliwag!" muttered Misty, who had only managed to catch a dozen magikarp and Chinchou.

"Rattata, go!" the boy shouted as he through the pokeball.

In a burst of light, Ash's small, purple mouse pokemon appeared and faced off against the Poliwag.

"Rattata, tackle."

The mouse pokemon quickly attacked the Poliwag, who then used water gun.

"Dodge it, Rattata, and use quick attack."

Once again Rattata hit the Poliwag and, in one last effort to beat it opponent, the tadpole pokemon summoned all of its energy into its tail, forming an ice ball.

"Be careful, Rattata, that is an egg move," said Ash. "Dodge it at last minute and then use tackle, followed by tail whip."

"Rat!" the normal type pokemon nodded.

Rattata then concentrated from the moment the ice ball came hurtling towards it, and using its increased speed from those weeks training the pokemon dodged it in a blur. However, just as Rattata was about to tackle the Poliwag, it began to glow, its body becoming bigger and stronger. Rattata had evolved into Raticate.

Ash, wanting to quickly finish the battle before this Poliwag go away, scanned his newly evolved pokemon with his pokedex. "Raticate, the mouse pokemon and the evolved version of Rattata," said the mechanic voice. "It uses its whiskers to maintain its balance. It apparently slows down if they are cut off. Also, its hind feet are webbed. They act as flippers, so it can swim in rivers and hunt for prey. This Raticate is female and has the ability Guts. Known moves: Tackle, Quick attack, Tail whip, Bite and Hyper fang."

"Raticate, quick, use hyper fang on Poliwag," shouted Ash as the Poliwag tried to escape towards the river.

The attack hit the tadpole pokemon and it collapsed at the river ledge.

"Pokeball, go!"

The pokeball hit the Poliwag, pulling the pokemon into it. The ball then snapped shut and the button began to blink from white to red as the ball shook. However, moments later the blinking stopped and stilled. Ash had caught a Poliwag.

At the Cerulean city Pokemon Center Ash had his pokemon healed. Then he called Professor Oak and traded his Raticate and Metapod from his Rhyhorn and Zubat. The black-haired boy felt a little guilty for doing so but since those two pokemon had already worked hard and evolved to the next level, he thought it would be best to start training his other pokemon.

"Thanks for letting me use your fishing rod, Misty," Ash smiled as he handed the long pole back to the red-headed girl.

"No problem, Ash," responded Misty. "It was nice to catch water pokemon with some company for a change."

"So where are you going now?" asked the boy.

Misty sighed and said, "Cerulean gym. My sisters and I are the leaders there, but they are more likely to put on a show than to battle with challengers."

"Well then I guess I will be challenging you next year."

"You bet ya, and i'm not going to go easy on you!" bragged the girl pointing at Ash in determination.

"I would not want you too," stated Ash.

"Pika," grinned the small electric mouse pokemon as it puff out its chest. To Ash his Pikachu was saying, 'Bring it on, I can beat you'.

"I'll see you around then," said the girl as she ran down the steps that lead towards the Pokemon Center doors. "Bye!"

"Bye, Misty!" Ash shouted back and when the orange dot disappeared into the distance the boy turned around and went back into the Pokemon Center. The plan was to get a good nights sleep, wake up early to train and then head back out one his journey.

The next day, Ash sat in the pokemon battle field at the back of the Pokemon Center and began to draw up a more detailed training plan.

"There!" announced the boy. "Since Pikachu, Pidgey, Oddish and Mankey have all been doing the speed, endurance and strength training, not much needs to be done there. So you four will done a 30 minute sprint with these weights that a brought and then an hour and a half on strengthening your attacks. However before I put anything down for Rhyhorn and Zubat, I best find out what you guys can do," continued Ash as he took out his Pokedex and scanned his pokemon.

"Rhyhorn, the spikes pokemon. Its massive bones are 1000 times harder than human bones. It can easily knock a trailer flying. This pokemon is male. Known moves: Horn attack, Fury attack, Scary face and Stomp.

Zubat, the blind bat pokemon. Forms colonies in perpetually dark places. Uses ultrasonic waves to identify and approach targets. This pokemon is female and has the egg move Super fang. Known moves: Supersonic and Bite."

"Okay," Ash nodded. "Zubat, I want to put some weights on you and about an hour of constant flying in the morning and evening. Then I want you to work with Pidgey and try to learn Air cutter. Rhyhorn, there is no point training you in speed because your body isn't made for it however try and over come some of your weaknesses such as water and grass type moves. I will have you and Pikachu learn shock wave and Iron tail."

"Pika" "Rhh", both Pikachu and Rhyhorn agreed.

"Okay, then lets go!"

By the end of the two hours, Ash's pokemon were once again exhausted and the boy quickly asked Cerulean's Nurse Joy to rejuvenate them. So, it wasn't until mid-day that Ash left began making his way towards the next town, wondering what type of pokemon he will catch next.

The young boy didn't even realise that as he left Cerulean city, Team Rocket had broken into the Cerulean City water pokemon Gym planning to steal the gym leaders pokemon. However, it was fortunate of these gym leaders that all of their pokemon were being healed at the Pokemon Center, although very unfortunate for team Rocket.


	6. Chapter 6: The Hidden Village

Chapter 6

"Oddish, finish it with tackle," said Ash as the purple weed pokemon attacked the Rattata in front of him.

"No, Rattata," cried the younger trainer as his pokemon fell unconscious. "Return."

"It was a great battle," smiled Ash. "With more training I am sure your pokemon will be even stronger."

"Yeah, I guess so," said the boy as he reached out to shake Ash's hand.

The boy was dressed in dark blue shorts with a light blue t-shirt with mousy-brown hair. The two trainers had came across each other on their journey, however, unlike Ash, the boy was planing on battling in the Pokemon League in 10 months time.

It had been a week since Ash left Cerulean City and the boy was slowly making his way toward Vermillion City so that he could once again switch out his pokemon.

Ash's pokemon have leveled up significantly since then, as well. Oddish, could now use tackle, poison powder and Stun spore. While Rhyhorn and Pikachu have perfected shock wave but are struggling to learnt Iron tail. Pidgey now knew gust.

The boy had fought many battles now. He had battled A.J and his Sandshrew, but lost. However, Ash realizes that he can't win every battle and A.J was the motivation he needed to get even stronger.

He and Pikachu then went on to find a Pokemon Academy that guaranteed entry into the Pokemon League without having to travel around doing gym battles. Although, the students there soon learnt that not everything can be taught in school.

Ash had yet to catch anymore pokemon since his capture of Poliwag, his water pokemon, but the boy always kept a look out for wild pokemon to add to his team.

After Oddish's battle, Ash began to walk deep into the forest, compass in hand. Nevertheless, this didn't stop Ash from getting lost.

As the boy sat down reach a stream to take a brake. At the stream, Ash watched as a wild Oddish drank the fresh, cool water. With a smile, Ash released his pokemon, "Come on out guys."

In a flash off light five pokemon appeared beside the stream, scaring the wild Oddish and causing it to run off. Unsurprisingly, Ash's Oddish chased after it wanting the company of its fellow pokemon species.

The suddenly, a green and blue pokemon jumped between the two weed pokemon, growling angrily at the tamed Oddish.

"Hey, what was that for!" Ash shouted, then his eyes widened as he realized that it was a wild Bulbasaur.

Bulbasaur were hardly even found in the wild, especially because they were the popular starter pokemon for the Kanto region, and were mostly bred to became the pokemon of a trainer. This Bulbasaur had red eyes and a flower on its back that would open when the pokemon evolved.

"I'm sorry," Ash said, lifting his hand in the universal sign of surrender. "I didn't mean to frighten that other Oddish, my pokemon just wanted to play."

"Bulba Bulbasaur saur!" grunted the pokemon and it sound to Ash as if the Bulbasaur was lecturing him.

"Sorry, sorry," Ash laughed as he rubbed the back of his neck guiltily.

"Bulba," said the pokemon and then it ran off with the wild Oddish.

"Odd!" exclaimed Ash's purple weed pokemon as it jumped to its feet and ran after the Bulbasaur and Oddish.

"Oddish, wait," the pokemons trainer called after it but the pokemon didn't listen. "Pidgey, follow Oddish."

"Pidgey!" said the small bird pokemon as it lept into the air.

"Rhyhorn, Mankey, Zubat return!" commanded Ash and then he and Pikachu quickly took off after his wayward Oddish and flying Pidgey.

The boy was lead across a very unstable rope bridge and along a sandy path surrounded by trees. However, as Ash continued he soon felt he foot catch on something, but as he moved to look he was suddenly hoisted up into the air.

Dirty, brown ropes rubbed against Ash's flesh as he clutched hard at the net he now sat inside. It was a trap. A trap that Ash had stupidly fallen for. Wriggling around in the net, Ash reached for one of his red and white pokeballs.

"Zubat," he said. "Use bite on the ropes."

"Zu-Zubat," squeaked the bat pokemon and immediately it began to chew through the thick rope. Its sharp teeth hacked away at it until, finally, snap!

Ash and Pikachu tumbled from the trap, their limbs flailing as they fell from the air.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch!" Ash cried rubbing his backside as Pikachu mimicked him.

"Oh no, are you okay?" called an unfamiliar voice as somebody came rushing towards Ash and Pikachu.

As the figure got closer, Ash saw that it was a had blue hair that was tied into a plait down her back and wore red dungarees with a pink shirt.

"I'm fine," responded Ash. "Hey, have you seen an Oddish following a Bulbasaur and another Oddish?"

"Oh, so it's yours," said the woman as she folded her hand together. "Come this way and I will show you."

As she lead Ash and Pikachu to the clearing the blue haired woman began to say, "My name is Melanie and I look after pokemon that are injured or abandoned by their trainers."

"So it is like you are a pokemon doctor and, where you take care of the pokemon, is the pokemon center," Ash theorized as he stepped into a grass clearing with a small wooden cabin. There was a pond beside the clearing where a Magikarp and Staryu were swimming and playing. A Paras, Caterpie and Weepinbell were cheerfully running around, laughing and chattering away.

"Oh no," said Melanie in a soft voice that was thick with some sort of ascent. "If anything it is more like a pokemon health pokemon don't battle with one another here, they relax and enjoy themselves until they are better and want to leave. I collect the plant and herbs that can heal them and know with can make a pokemon feel stronger or heal cuts."

"Cool," Ash said and then paused in deep thought. "Can you teach me? Please."

Melanie smiled, "Of course."

"Oh look there is Bulbasaur and may Oddish," exclaimed the black-haired boy as he pokemon to the place where the two pokemon had emerged. Then the boy knelt down beside the purple weed pokemon and scolded, "Don't ever run off again, we were all worried about you."

The Bulbasaur that now stood a little ways away from Ash's Oddish gave the boy a strange look, as if the pokemon could not understand why Ash was being nice to his pokemon.

"Odd-Odd, Oddish," muttered the grass and poison type pokemon as it blushed slightly.

"Bulbasaur volunteered to guard our whole village," started the blue-haired woman. "It protects all the injured pokemon when enemies try to attack them. He doesn't really like pokemon trainers though."

"why not?" asked Ash, confused at the glare Bulbasaur was sending him.

"I do not know for sure, but I believe that Bulbasaur's trainer abandoned it, like many of the other pokemon I have cared for," Melanie reasoned.

Ash stayed at the hidden pokemon village for a week learning about the herbs that could heal both humans and pokemon and about the food that were eatable. For instance, Ash learnt that Belladonna was used as a sedative and Elderberry was used to stop infections and reduce pain. The black-haired boy was even taught how to make pokemon food from the specific berries that each pokemon liked. For example, normal type pokemon such as Raticate liked the dry, nutty flavor of Chesto berry, whilst rock type pokemon preferred Rawst berries which were bitter.

One the last day of Ash's stay with Melanie and the pokemon everything was peaceful. Ash had just finished washing Staryu and feeding the other pokemon when suddenly two very familiar voices sounded from above Ash, Melanie and the pokemon.

"Prepare for trouble," shouted Jessie as she stood on a large grey machine that floated in the air above the hidden pokemon village. She was posed with her arm in the air pointing towards the sky.

"Better make that double," continued James as he mimicked Jessie's pose with a red rose in his left hand.

"To protect the world from devastation,"

"To unite all people within our nation."

"To denounced the evils of truth and love,"

"To extend our reach to the starts above."

"Jessie."

"James."

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light,"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight."

"Meowth, that's right!"

"Now, give us your pokemon!" demand Jessie.

The small village was now shadowed by the machine that was hovering above them and then with a big bang, that caused the air around the large device to lash out, they landed in the trees just next to the village.

"Not again," groaned Ash.

"Pika," groaned Pikachu, sadly agreeing with Ash.

"This is the team Rocket stadium and none of your pokemon will be able to handle it," announced Jessie as the talking Meowth pressed the green button on the remote.

With a moan a metal plate on the side of the stadium lid open and the tube emerged from within it. Then with a massive amount of suction, Jessie continued, "All pokemon are now invited into the stadium."

All of the pokemon at the small health center struggled to fight against the powerful pull of the hose. Quickly Ash shouted for everyone to get into the cabin and helped grabbed some of the pokemon that were being pulled into the large, grey stadium.

Unfortunately, Ash could not stop the wild Oddish as it flew at high speeds, however Bulbasaur's vine wipe easily grabbed onto the pokemon. The black-haired boy immediately went over the the struggling Bulbasaur and began to push against the pokemon to help it into the cabin.

Then Melenie slammed the door closed, leaving the suction of the hose useless. "That rotten brat, this is the second time he has ruined our plans," grumbled Jessie.

When it appeared that team Rocket were not going to give up, Bulbasaur appeared on the roof of the cabin, gripping into the wood to stop itself from moving. It then began to use vine whip on the hose. During this time, Ash had left the cabin and called Pidgey out of it Pokeball.

"Use Air cutter, Pidgey."

The small bird fought against the air as it continuously cut into it, but nothing worked. The hose just continued to pull air into the hose in an attempt to get pokemon.

Ash gritted his teeth not knowing what to do, however as he reach for Pidgey's pokeball to return the pokemon, it began to evolve. It glowed a brilliant white and then as the glow dissipated in the place of a small, brown and cream feathered Pidgey was Pidgeotto with a red mane and red and yellow tail feathers.

"Alright!" exclaimed Ash. "Pidgeotto use gust!"

As the two air attacks collided, each from different directions, a tornado formed in the middle and went spiraling towards team Rocket, flinging them and the stadium into the air. The odd team then left shouting, "Looks like team Rocket is blasting off!"

* * *

 _ **Thank you for reading and I am sorry it took so long to write this chapter - it has been very busy these last few days.**_

 _ **Please don't forget to review and tell me what you think!**_


	7. Chapter 7: The Abandoned Pokemon

**Chapter 7**

Ash had been surprised when Bulbasaur wanted to go with him, but happily battled and caught the Pokemon. However, the Black-haired trainer was once again frustrated when the Pokeball vanished from his hand and an empty one appeared on his belt. He would have to wait until he got to the next city to start training Bulbasaur.

Once again Ash found himself in a forest whilst heading to the next city. With his newly purchased binoculars, he searched from new types of Pokemon to add to his teams but sighed when he found nothing but Spearows. These red and brown bird Pokemon seem to be everywhere!

Of course, this did not deter the 10 year old boy and his Pikachu, who sit happily on his should gazing into the bushes of the forest. The wind made the leaves shiver and the clouds above the two were slowly growing darker with the promise of a storm. It would be the first storm of Ash's journey and the boy was hoping to make it to the Pokemon Center before it starts.

"Pika," muttered the yellow mouse Pokemon with concern as it turned its eyes towards the sky.

"I know," replied the Pokemon trainer. "We will have to get moving."

Putting away his binoculars, Ash quickened his pace walking past a huge rock that stood on the side of the path. However, a slight movement from something on top of the rock caused the dark haired boy to freeze.

In what was left of the daylight that was supplied by the slowly disappearing sun, Ash glimpsed the orange dragon pokemon that sat on top of it. The tiny pokemon yawned loudly with its tail wrapped firmly around part of its body. It flames burning close to the fire types head.

"A Charmander," whispered Ash is awe. Not only had he found a wild Bulbasaur but also a wild Charmander, which were very rare considering they are raised as beginner Pokemon. The thought was followed by another, Bulbasaur was only a wild Pokemon because it was mistreated by its owner, could this also be true for the petite Charmander in front of him.

Ash had always wanted a Charmander, in fact, he had wanted said Pokemon as his beginner, but that did not turn out well.

Ash looked up once more at the Pokemon, in was panting and coughing roughly.

"He doesn't look very well, Pikachu," commented Ash matter-of-factly.

"Pika pi," agreed on the yellow Pokemon.

"Hey Charmander, what are you doing up there?" questioned Ash in a soft, soothing voice. He had read a book that Pokemon responded well when you did three things: one, if they were smaller than him, crouch down to their level. Two, look them in the eyes. Three, talk to them gently. This Ash supposed was very much like how adults dealt with children. He remembered how, when he was upset, his mother would fall to her knees, look him in the eyes and give him kind reassurances.

Obviously, however, this method did not work with everyone as the Charmander didn't even glance at the black haired trainer.

The next thing Ash did was send Pikachu up to the orange Pokemon, however, that idea, just like his first, accomplished nothing as the Pokemon ignored the yellow mouse as well.

When Pikachu had returned to Ash's side, shaking it head in they way that told Ash that not even he could get through to the Charmander that sat as still as a statue staring into the distance.

"Okay, what do you think Pikachu, should I try to catch him?" Ash asked uncertainly, wondering what the Pokemon would thing if the trainer suddenly threw a Pokeball at it.

"Pika," the mouse Pokemon agreed.

So with a nod, as if confirming his actions with himself, Ash pulled a Pokeball from his belt and enlarged it. Then with perfect aim, the boy released the boy from his hand, where it shot towards the sick looking Pokemon.

However, with a sudden burst of energy that Ash was sure that the Pokemon should not be able to have, the small orange Pokemon swung its tail like a baseball bat and sent the ball hurtling back downs its pitcher. So much for that idea.

With a sign, Ash looked up into the sky noticing that the storm was growing closer and closer. If he did not get the orange dragon Pokemon to move from the rock and toward some shelter soon, then it will likely die.

That was it!

Ash's mind began to work at ten times its normal speed as it thought of the quickest and most efficient way to help the Charmander. He glanced around, turning in a circle as he took in everything around him. From the small rocks laying on the ground to the large tree branches that had been broken by Pokemon or previous storms.

His idea was a simple one: if Charmander would not go to the shelter then Ash would bring the shelter to Charmander.

"Come on out everyone!" Ash called as he threw all of his poke balls into the air. In a burst of white light five Pokemon of all shapes and sizes emerged from their temporary homes inside of the small red and white balls, each announcing their names as they were summoned.

"Okay, Pikachu and Oddish, I need you to try your hardest to dig holes in the ground where I mark 'x'. I know it is not in your ability sets however you too have the highest probability of learning how."

The two Pokemon quickly nodded their heads in agreement and followed Ash as the young trainer began to mark seven x's into the dry dirt. "Dig as deep as you can, but move quickly."

"Pika!"

"Oddish!"

A little while later found all all six pokemon participating in some way to help Ash build the shelter around the weakened Charmander. With Pidgeotto and Mankey using wind cutter, scratch and fury swipes to cut large branches from trees, Zubat flying around gathering small branches with leaves on and Rhyhorn carrying the heavy pieces of wood to Ash, who would then struggle determinedly to place the wood into the holes that Pikachu and Oddish had dug. All the while the Charmander watched the group in admiration.

The fire type pokemon had never seen a pokemon work so well with their trainer, especially with his trainer. Instead of berating the tired pokemon if they took a break the trainer simply smiled and said that it was okay to take a break, or enthusiastically encouraged them to go on. Yes, Charmander had became fascinated by the black haired trainer.

By the time the group was finished they were exhausted and the storm was almost upon them. So, instead of making their way to the Pokemon center as originally planned, Ash called his Pokemon back into their balls (with the exception of Pikachu) and ducked into the shelter along with the fire type.

Suddenly the wind began to pick up and the clouds darkened even more as rumbling could be heard in the distance. The shelter that was constructed in a little over half and hour creaked and shuddered, but held together. Then the rain poured down as thick as drapery. Pikachu's cheeks began to spark lighting up the darkness around them as the Charmander's pants turned into wheezing sounds.

Instantly Ash went towards the small Pokemon and reached out to touch him cautiously. To Ash's relief the Pokemon let him press his hand against its orange skill, however Ash's relief died as quickly as it came. The fire Pokemon was cold, yet its skill was clammy with sweat.

"Pikachu, go into my bag and get one Passho berry and a Sitrus berry," Ash asked as he stripped off his jacket and placed it over the ice cold Pokemon.

"Pika-Pika."

As the small electric mouse handed Ash the two berries, Ash thought back on some of the things that Melanie taught him. A sitrus berry with a lumpy yellow berry with light orange spots with a well-rounded flavor, whereas a Passho berry was a small, circular blueberry.

With some encouragement, the Charmander ate both berries and drank a quarter of Ash's water supply. Not that the boy minded, as the Pokemon was not far from where they had decided to camp when the storm calmed down.

By the time the storm had passed it was early morning and Ash was glad to see the the flame on Charmander's tail had began to burn more brightly than the young trainer had seen before. When he stepped out of the makeshift shelter, the boy stretch and cracked his back. He had stayed up all night keeping a watchful eye on both the ill Charmander and the unstable roof above his head, although now he wished he had gotten some sleep.

Once again Ash fed the Charmander the two berries that he had given the Pokemon the night before. As Charmander finished devouring them hungrily Ash crouched down onto his knees and said, "Hey Charmander, I know you don't want to leave here, but don't you think it will be better to come back when you are feeling better."

The fire type Pokemon just looked up at the boy sadly.

"You know, if your trainer did not come to get you during the storm, he may not come back," whispered Ash gently, trying not to upset the Pokemon further.

"Char..." whimpered the orange Pokemon with resignation. It was then that Ash and Pikachu knew that the Pokemon was waiting loyally for its trainer in the storm and that the Pokemon finally seemed to understand that said trainer was probably never coming back.

"You know," Ash spoke lightly. "Not every trainer is like that-"

"Pika- Pi," Pikachu nodded readily.

"You can come with us if you like?" the boy pulled out the Pokeball that he had tried to originally catch the Pokemon in. "You don't have too if you don't want too," the young boy said quickly, trying to reassure the Pokemon that he was not trying to push it into decisions.

Silent enveloped the small group of three as Ash and Pikachu waited with baited breaths. Frozen in their spots as if they thought that one harmless move would dissuade the Charmander into joining them on their journey.

The Charmander stared at the red and white ball. It mind churning as it thought about its other trainer. About how his trainer had never encouraged him the way Ash had with his Pokemon, how, according to Damian, he was a weak Pokemon that was a waste of his time. Memory after memory flashed before the Charmander's eyes, the last few being of the trainer in front of him. About how the young boy built the shelter and fed the Pokemon the correct food.

In the end it was those memories that compelled the orange Pokemon to reach forward and press the button on the Pokeball. The ball sprang open and the Charmander was engulfed in a white light, pulling him into the warmth of the red and white ball. No one would know that the Charmander was smiling happily as he welcomed the warmth, however, that did not matter, because Ash was wearing an identical one.

"Don't worry," the black haired boy said. "I'll take great care of you." With that said the ball vanished only to appear in Professor Oak's lab, where the Charmander would be healed.

 **Updated 27/10/2016**


	8. Chapter 8: Damien

**Chapter 8 Damien**

With Charmander safely in the hands of Professor Oak, Ash continued on his way to Vermilion City. He trudged down that paths that was now muddy and damp from the rain of last night storm. From where he was now, he could see a Pokemon Center, which looked more like a cabin than a place that deals with the health and well-being of a trainers Pokemon. Yet Ash was not one to complain because, after spending all night outside, he desperately wanted to relax in front of a burning fire that will warm him to his bones.

Finally, in the warmth of the Poke Centre, the first thing that Ash did was seek out a phone in order to call the Professor and inquire about his newly caught lizard Pokemon. According to Professor Oak, it would be a little while before the Charmander will be healthy enough to join the black-haired boy on his journey. The fire type Pokemon was extremely weak and sick.

After the video call ended, Ash gave his Pokemon to the Nurse Joy of yet another Pokemon Center and took a seat in front of the blazing fire. He sat there for a while letting himself be submerged in the heat and the flickering yellow and orange flames dance cross his closed eyelids. It was in the moment that he heard them talking from the other side of the brilliant, burning blaze of hotness.

"...that puny thing was so weak it couldn't even beat the weakest opponents," gloated a boy with a think accent. This boy, who was slightly older than Ash, had hair as blue as sapphires. Yet, if what the black haired boy was hearing was correct, then the boy had a soul as black as coal.

"So, what did you do with it?" questioned one of the other boys that had gathered around to listen. This one had ocean blue hair that was spiked up on top of his head.

"I left him on a rock in the forest and told him I would be back. I bet that stupid thing is still there," the other boys laughed as they heard about what had been done to their 'friends' Charmander.

Ash, not being able to hold back his emotions, slammed the palms of his hands into the white marble table in front of him. He immediately regretted doing it as he felt a stinging sensation travel from his palms to his elbows. Standing up, he flexed his hands in an attempt to relieve himself of the feeling and began to walk towards the sapphire haired boy. Three other boys were around him laughing, but that did not intimidate Ash as he took small measured steps towards the group.

"And you call yourself a Pokemon trainer," Ash sneered, his face twisting in disgust.

"Excuse me!" exclaimed the boy. "Do you want to fight or something?" The boy and his friends each grabbed a Pokeball from the pike that was on the table in front of them, preparing themselves for an attack.

The black haired boy snorted, "No, I don't want to fight you. Do you want to know why?"

"It's because you know you can't beat Damien," laughed the brunette haired boy who wore a bright red t-shirt.

"Actually," Ash drawled. "I know I can beat Damien because I am not the type of trainer that blames my weaknesses on my Pokemon. Is it not a trainers role to make their Pokemon stronger, not to abandon them when you can't be bothered to follow through." H stared at the boys, watching as Damien trembled with poorly concealed rage. "Although," Ash continued, "I should probably thank you."

"Oh?" Damien grounded out.

"Yeah," Ash smirked. "Because if it wasn't for you, I would not have caught a Charmander today."

The black haired boy felt his smile widen as the other boys face began to twitch in anger. He then turned his back on the group of four and walked away.

From somewhere behind him, Ash heard one of the boy's comment, "At least you don't have to waste your time with that weak Pokemon, right Damien?"

SMASH.

* * *

By lunch time, Ash had learned that Damien and his gang had left the Pokemon Center , much to his relief. So, he retrieved his healed Pokemon from Nurse Joy and lead them all outside. It was there that they continued their training. Due to the limited area that Ash had, the boy had his Pokemon running suicide drills, push ups and sit ups. Then after a short break to replenish their energy, the black haired boy set out in search of more Pokemon and Vermilion City.

* * *

 **Hey guys, sorry it has taken me so long to update. I am also sorry that this chapter is so short, however to make it up for you by the end of today at least two more chapters will be posted. So, please, just wait a little longer.**

 **Also, you guys know the drill. If you sport any errors or something you think I could improve on, please tell me. All of you have been a great help in aiding me to write this story.**


	9. Chapter 9: The Squirtle Squad

**Chapter 9 The Squirtle Squad**

During this training session, Ash began to have his Pokemon carry out mock battles. While one Pokemon is told what to do by its trainer (Ash), the other Pokemon is expected to use its initiative and training in order to beat its opponent. The first match was Pikachu and Ash vs Mankey. Despite the fact that Mankey fought well, dodging at the right moments and moving in to attack when there is an opening, the fighting type Pokemon succumb to Pikachu's thunder and collapsed defeated onto the ground beneath it.

Ash was pleased with the team that he was currently training as they now excelled in speed, endurance, and strength. Therefore, he decided to make his way over to the next city in order to exchange his Pidgeotto, Mankey, Oddish, Rhyhorn and Zubat from new Pokemon that his had caught.

So, when Ash packed up his camping site and continued down the road, with Pikachu on his shoulder, he did not expect trouble. Nor did he expect to fall into a hole, landing flat on his back, about 10 feet down.

"Are you okay, Pikachu?" asked Ash as he pulled himself into the sitting position, taking note of the multiple scratches and possible bruises that are scattered around his body.

"Pika-pi," the yellow electric mouse said, shaking the dirt from its golden fur.

It was then that the black haired Pokemon trainer heard laughter and the distinctive sound of "squir, Squirtle, squir". The sound was located above the boy and as he looked up to the entrance the culprits were easily seen.

There, standing around the opening of the trap Ash and Pikachu found themselves in, was five Squirtles. Four of which wore circular, dark sunglasses and the fifth wore cat eye sunglasses. This slight difference in how the fifth Squirtle presented itself, suggested to Ash that he was the leader of this group.

"Hey!" Ash shouted as the gang of Squirtle's disappeared. "Where are you going?" This isn't funny!"

As their laughter could no longer be heard, the black haired boy sighed in resignation. He will have to find a way out of this hole on his own. Unfortunately, this was a moment where Ash wished he had Bulbasaur so that the Pokemon could use vine whip to pull him up. However, he didn't and there was no use in crying over spilled milk, or, in the case, bad timing.

He could have Zubat and Pidgey fly him up, however, each Pokemon was fairly small and he worried that it would be too much strain on them. Especially, since they had been training only a short time ago. No, Ash would have to get out of this situation himself.

* * *

In the end, Ash had to climb out of the large literal hole that he had found himself in. It had been his only choice.

So, once he reached to top and hoisted himself over the edge, Ash stood up. The boy tried to catch his breath and, as he did, he could hear sirens in the distance. The noise got louder and louder until the source skidded to a stop directly in front of the boy. There straddling a police motorcycle was Officer Jenny. Or, at least, she looked just like the last Officer Jenny he had met, with teal blue hair and hot pink/red eyes. Apparently, there are nine Officer Jenny's who are identical and have the exact same name. Just like there were multiple Nurse Joy's!

"I see you ran into the Squirtle Squad," the Officer said eyeing the hole that Ash had just pulled himself from.

"The Squirtle Squad?" Ash frowned in confusion. A Pokemon gang?

"Yes, they are all Squirtles that have been abandoned by their trainers. They just run wild and pull pranks on everyone in town," she explained.

Abandoned, Ash's mind whispered. " I am beginning to see a trend," the boy muttered under his breath. It seems that every beginner Pokemon that he had come across was abandoned some way by their previous trainers. Are people really that cruel and heartless to these amazing creatures?

Making his way into town, Ash soon realized that there was no Pokemon center. However, there was a small medical store that sold potions for Pokemon. So he decided to take a look, hoping that he may find something useful from his Pokemon to use during his travels.

"Hello," Ash called out as he pushed open the door, only to freeze in the fear.

Ash and Pikachu found themselves staring at four men, each of whom when pointing guns at him.

"Sorry, about that lad," one of the men said as he dropped the gun down to his side. "We were just robbed by some people, claiming they are going to take care of the Squirtle Squad."

As Ash nodded his acceptance of the apology, his mind began to work with the information he had just received. Criminals were going after the Squirtle Squad and he had to stop them. After asking the men a couple of questions about where he might find the gang of water Pokemon, the black haired trainer found his way to the police station and somehow ended up on the back of Officer Jenny's motorbike. She had offered to give him a ride in order to find the gang of Pokemon and, if anything illegal was amiss, the female reserved the right to enforce the law.

* * *

It was not long until Ash and Officer Jenny found a small entrance that leads to where the Squirtle Squad were staying. The entrance was a small gap in the side of a mountain. The passageway was too narrow for an adult, but a child like Ash could probably squeeze through. So he did.

He crouched at the entrance and pushed his back against the left side of the wall. Slowly, on the balls of his toes, Ash shuffled along the small tunnel.

For a while all that the boy could see was darkness. It was the darkness that seemed to get thicker and thicker with every step he took. Feeling like there was no end in sight, the young boy considered turning back if only to get a touch, yet the boy carried on. Eventually, his eyes became used to the impenetrable blackness and Ash could then see the ground in which he was walking on.

Ash did not know how long he was in that passageway, but he was relieved to find light and fresh air beaming from cracks in the stones. It appeared as if large rocks had tumbled down in front of the exit. Ash tested all of the rocks until he found a loose one that did not seem to be important in preventing the rest from collapsing. So, with one sure push, Ash was free from the darkness that surrounded him.

Upon entering the Squirtle Squads cave, Ash spotted someone, or rather something among the five water Pokemon. It was a Meowth. A talking Meowth.

Suddenly, there was an explosion and two voices spoke from the smoke. "Prepare for trouble, and make that double," Ash frowned when he realized it was the crazy pink haired woman, Jessie, and the blue haired man, James. However, as they continued their motto, the boy realized that this time they were standing inside a Meowth air balloon with a grass green basket. Each of them carried explosives in which they aimed at the Squirtle Squad.

"Meowth," Jessie shouted from the balloon, getting the attention of the talking cat Pokemon. "We might as well take that Pikachu while we are at it."

She then threw another explosive which sent Ash and Pikachu flying back. However, while the boys back slammed into the wall of the mountain, Pikachu rolled to a stop beside him. Meowth then grabbed the defenseless yellow mouse Pokemon and stuffed it into a bag with three of the Squirtle Squad.

"Everyone takes cover," Ash shouted as Team Rocket continued to throw explosives at them. As one of the Squirtles ran with Ash to cover, the boy turned around and saw that the other Squirtle, the leader, was stuck on its back. So abandoning all sense of self-preservation, Ash ran out into the open, pushing the Pokemon onto its legs, leading it back into the caves.

The three of them then made their way through the tunnels, going upwards as they went. The boy was relieved to find that he had taken the right passageways as he appeared on the top of the mountain that Team Rocket were flying up.

"Alright Squirtle," Ash exclaimed. "Use water gun on that balloon." Then the boy called out Pidgeotto and Zubat, ordering them to take the bag filled with Pokemon from the talking Meowth.

The tiny turtle Pokemon's water gun was so strong that it caused the air balloon to burst. Then the two flying type Pokemon snatched the brown fabric bag from the cat Pokemon, flying them safely to the ground beside Ash.

Meanwhile, Team Rocket screamed as the balloon began to move with jagged motions, shooting away into the distance. Ash thought it was strange when he heard the three shout, "It looks like Team Rocket is blasting off again."

* * *

After the incident with Team Rocket, Ash and Pikachu were once again on their journey towards Vermilion City. It was not long before the black haired trainer realized that he was being followed by one of the Squirtles.

"Squirt, Squirtle," the Pokemon shouted pleadingly.

Ash smiled slightly and turned to look at the turtle, "Would you like to come with us?"

The Pokemon nodded and took its cat eyed sunglasses off, revealing burning red eyes beneath them. They were the eyes of a Pokemon that lusted for adventure and desired for a strong, kind trainer.

Ash's smile grew wider and he held out his Pokeball to the water Pokemon. In turn, Squirtle pressed the white button and vanished into the Pokeball. "I will see you soon," the boy spoke as the red and white ball in his hand transported itself to Professor Oaks lab.

* * *

 _ **Thank you for reading and as promised this is the first chapter that I am posting today. I hope you liked it.**_

 _ **Also, one of the Guests that commented on chapter one saying that it is hypocritical for me to say that I have no desire for a beta, ye ask my readers to point out mistakes when made. I, personally, do not think this is true. I did not wish of a beta because I would like to learn from my mistakes. Also if there are flaws in the story, you as the readers are better at spotting them than a beta is.**_

 _ **Thank you and please comment!**_


	10. Chapter 10: The Exchange

**Chapter 10 The Exchange**

It has been months since Ash had left Pallet Town to begin his pokemon journey, and, according to the plan he made before he left, Ash was ahead of schedule. With thirteen pokemon caught and six of them trained to the boys current desired level, all he needed now was to exchange his pokemon.

As the sun began to set, Ash and Pikachu found their way to a beach. The light breeze whispered past him and crashing against the shore, small waves washed seaweed onto the land. Untouched golden sand covered the ground beneath his feet s the cool, salty air filled his nose. It has been a while since he had been to the beach.

Hearing a clicking sound down by his feet, Ash and Pikachu looked down to see a small crab-like Pokemon scuttling between his legs. Slowly, the creature scurried away giving the boy just enough time to scan it was his Pokedex.

 **"Krabby,"** the mechanical voice of the hand-held machine said, **"This Pokemon live on the shore. Its average height is sixteen inches."**

Ash decided to leave this Pokemon alone for now. After all, he still has nine other Pokemon to train.

"So, as Ash watched the sun go down he set up camp just beyond the tree line. He then instructed them on what they needed to improve on, this time taking both Pidgeotto and Zubat aside for a mock battle. On this occasion, Ash would be giving orders to Zubat, while Pidgeotto had to use its initiative.

"Zubat," Ash shouted. "Start off with supersonic."Sound waves rippled through the air towards Pidgeotto, who dived to the ground in order to avoid the attack. Pidgeotto the retaliated with sand attack, however this did very little as Zubat was a blind Pokemon and would not be affected by sand being in its eyes.

"Zubat, use bite," the trainer commanded and the purple bat Pokemon shot towards Pidgeotto with impressive speed. Pidgeotto also decided to speed towards Zubat.

The two Pokemon collided in a flurry of wings as one bit down hard on the other, while the other sent its strong beak into its opponents stomach before the two eventually pulled apart. Sitting in the air, the bat Pokemon began to glow a blinding white light, as its form grew and changed into its evolved body.

"Amazing," Ash muttered in awe. This was the third time he had seen a Pokemon evolve and it still looked as beautiful as ever.

"When the glow receded Zubat had became Golbat. A large bat-like pokemon with small slit pupils and a massive mouth containing four sharp fangs. When scanned the pokedex said, **"Golbat, the bat pokemon. Attacking with its fangs, this pokemon can drain three hundred cubic centimeters of blood per bite. This Golbat is female and knows the moves bite, supersonic, air slash and poison fang."**

It was at that time that Ash realized that he had yet to scan Pidgeotto with his pokedex. It said **"This pokemon is very protective of its sprawling territorial area and will fiercely peak on any intruders. This Pidgeotto is female and knows the moves tackle, sand attack, air cutter, agility and quick attack."**

"That is great Golbat, Pidgeotto!" exclaimed the black haired boy. "You two deserve a nice long break after working so hard. Go have fun for a bit, but stay close."

* * *

The next day Ash and Pikachu awoke as the sun began to rise. The ocean waves seemed much stronger than the night before and the boy did not feel comfortable staying on the beach any longer, and neither did Pikachu.

"Pika, Pika," the yellow electric mouse Pokemon said pointing to a tall building at the edge of the cliff.

"A light house," Ash smiles as he stares at the dark town with a light circling the top.

It did not take the boy long to travel to the light house, but the closer he got to it the more hesitant he became. This light house looked different from the other that he saw closer to Pallet Town and in pictures. The front door itself stretch far higher than Ash had ever seen, equaling almost threes the black haired boys size. Each door had multiple carvings of various pokemon such as Scyther and Growlithe.

Pushing the door bell, Ash did not expect ancient, ghostly chimes to echo through the building. Nor did he expect a chill to creep down his spine. Maybe he should just continue on his way before someone answered, the boy's mind whispered to him.

However before he could consider the thought further a voice from the monitor said, "Who's there?" The voice sounded old yet confident, but with a hint of some else.

"Sorry to bother you, Sir," Ash apologized. "I am a traveler and was hoping that I could take shelter hear until the ocean settles. I will be happy to help you any way I can until then."

"Can you cook without using tofu?" the strange man questioned, causing the boy to frown in confusion.

"A little bit. My mom taught me enough so that I could prepare myself meals while ob my journey," the boy responded.

"That's good, my cook left on holiday and all I have been eating is tofu," cheered the man. Then the large oak downs groaned as they slowly began to open.

Beyond the doors was a large hall with red carpet running up some stairs towards another doorway. The was no lights, thus casting the room in shadows and darkness, nor was there any furniture that Ash could see. The trainer and his Pikachu though this was very odd, after all who would need a room without anything in it.

Ash walked toward the second doorway, asking as he went, "Would you mind if I borrowed your phone?"

The voice replied once more saying that there was a phone right near him, and to Ash's surprise, there was. As he turned towards the space that he originally thought was empty, he allowed for the shadows to reveal the videophone that they had been hiding from the boy.

"Thank you," Ash called back.

The black haired boy dialed Professor Oak and soon enough the screen in front of him flashed on. The image that greeted him was that of the elderly Professor making himself dinner.

"Sorry to disturb you, Professor," said the boy, who then scratch the back of his head in embarrassment.

"That is quite alright Ash, I am just making dinner," the old man smiled at the boy. "It is quite a surprise to see you calling me, though. Where are you?"

" I am at an old light house, on top of a cliff. I am not exactly sure where though," the boy answered the question, avoiding out right telling the Profession that he had wondered off the trail to look for a good place to train. He did not want to admit that he was lost, even to himself.

"Oh," the Professor claps his hands together. "That must be Bill's light house. He is a Pokemon researcher that knows even more than me, you should take the opportunity to learn from him while you are there."

Ash nodded his head in agreement to the recommendation.

"And by the way Ash, did you know that Gary has already caught forty-five Pokemon," the man informed the boy proudly. "In fact, look at his most recent catch."

The man then turned the camera showing Ash a Krabby that was almost five times as large as the one that he saw at the beach.

The boy felt jealousy and anger shoot through him like a bullet, but he convinced himself to calm down. After all, while forty-five was an impressive number, Gary would not be able to train them all. However, Ash and his thirteen pokemon had plenty of time to improve and evolve together. Furthermore, it was not like he was limiting himself in how many pokemon he will catch, he was just controlling himself more. The boy had already planned to catch enough pokemon to create a third team, while training his second team. That means, that after he had trained the next batch of pokemon he exchanges, Ash will have sixteen pokemon.

"That is great Professor Oak," Ash signed. "I was actually calling you to tell you that I am on my way to the next Pokemon center in order to exchange some of my Pokemon."

The elderly Professor was his hand at the boy,"Ash there is no need to go to a poke center to change your Pokemon, your Pokedex has that ability. Just press the white button."

"What!" Ash exclaimed as he flipped open his pokedex and push the button. The screen then told him to select one of his pokemon from his current team and one of the pokemon at the lab in order to exchange. "Why did you not tell me sooner?" the boy questioned frustratedly (this is a word according to the English dictionary).

"Oops," Professor Oak chuckled. "I guess I must have forgotten, sorry Ash."

Sighing once more, Ash said to the Professor, "Oh well, better late than never. I will talk to you later, Sir. Bye."

The screen turned itself off as Ash hung up the phone and began to select the Pokemon he wished to exchange. He sent Pidgeotto, Mankey, Oddish, Rhyhorn and Golbat to the lab and exchanged them for Metapod, Poliwag, Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle.

He already knew that Metapod had the ability harden, but he had no clue about his other Pokemon, so Ash decided to scan them.

 **"Poliwag, the tadpole Pokemon. It has no arms but its tail makes it a strong swimmer. This Poliwag is female and knows that move water gun.**

 **Squirtle, the tiny turtle Pokemon. After birth, its back swells and hardens into a shell. This Squirtle is male and knows the moves tackle, water gun and withdraw.**

 **Charmander, the lizard Pokemon. This Pokemon obviously prefers hot places and, when it rains, steam is said to spout from the tip of its tail. This Charmander is male and knows the moves growl, flamethrower, ember, and smokescreen.**

 **Bulbasaur, the seed Pokemon. A strange seed was planted on its back at birth. The seed sprouts and grows with the Pokemon. This Bulbasaur is male and knows the moves vine whip, growl, and tackle."**

"Okay guys, we are going to start training," Ash pumped his fist into the air enthusiastically. "But first... everyone return."

Each Pokemon glowed and happily returned to their Pokeball's as Ash spun on his feet and walked further into the light house.

"Hey, Mister," he shouted as he went. "I will cook you something to eat now."

Suddenly, the light house was filled with a brilliant yellow and the bulbs on the ceiling began to glow with energy.

"No need to shout, I am right here," the voice of the stranger, that Ash supposed was Bill, came from his left.

Ash jumped and spun to face the man, however, it wasn't a man he ended up staring at. Instead, he saw a human-sized Kabuto, with a large brown shell and two glowing red eyes.

"Um, Sir, is that you?" Ash asked unsure of what to make of the thing standing in front of him.

"Yes, it is me. I am Bill, a Pokemon researcher," Bill said confirming the boy's suspicions, allow him to relieve some of the tension that Ash could suddenly feel on his shoulders. "This is a costume, I am stuck inside it."

"Do you want some help?" Ash asked as he made his way over to the Kabuto costume, already trying to work out how to remove the thing.

"Yes, just push the button under my arm," the man said with relief flooding his voice.

The black haired trainer did as he was told and watched as the costume's arms unlocked and fell to the ground. The front of the Kabuto suit fell forwards and the shell fell backward, revealing the man inside.

Bill, as it turned out, was not old at all. In fact, he looked rather young, with moss green hair and coal black eyes. Ash could not help thinking that his lime green tie looked horrid with his crimson red suit.

"Thanks for helping me. I have been stuck in that costume since last night!", the strange Pokemon research said.

"That's okay. I am happy to help," the black haired boy smiled.

* * *

 **Yet, another chapter for you guys. I am on a roll!**


	11. Chapter 11: The Mechanical Desaster

**Reply to Chosen-One-92:** Thank you for your advice and I will definitely work on post chapters between 2,500 and 3,500 characters long. I am also happy that you like that I started to develop the characters further as I was unsure how people would take to adding details that are not told in the original anime. Thank you!

 **Reply to LoneWolfsRage and Birdy1210:** Thank you for spotting that, I had not realized that I had evolved Pidgey. That error has been amended now, thank you :-)

 **Chapter 11**

Ash and Bill talked for a long time about Pokemon. About those that are extinct and about the one hundred and fifty out there waiting to be caught. The green haired man spoke about how it was Ash's responsibility to catch all these Pokemon and, maybe, along with the way the young boy would find a new species. That was something Ash hoped he could discover.

As it turns out Bill is searching for a specific kind of Pokemon. He claims that it is that biggest Pokemon ever, yet no one has ever seen it.

After brunch had been cooked and eaten, the sea had finally calmed down. Ash made his way back to the beach and began to train his newly acquired Pokemon from Professor Oaks lab. However, he could not help but think about Bill and what he had told the boy. He hoped that the strange youthful researcher would someday be able to find and befriend the large Pokemon that he searches for.

The boy cannot remember how long he was on the road for, but he was glad to finally make it to Vermilion City. The City was relatively large compared to Viridian City, with more shops and people than Ash could even recall seeing in one place. The Pokemon Center was a red, gold and blue dome, with two Pokeball on top of it. These look a lot like eyes, the small plaque with the Centers name on it was a nose and the doors were its mouth.

Pidgeys and other flying type Pokemon spoke to each other as they flew across the sky, landing in trees and perching on buildings.

Inside the Pokemon Center, Ash stood in front of a dark wooden desk as he handed another Nurse Joy his Pokemon. This Joy, just like all the others, had pink hair and blue eyes. Wearing the nurse hat with a medical red cross on it and a tight white apron and dress.

Suddenly, a boys voice shouted, "Hurry!" The double doors of the Pokemon Center burst open to reveal a Clefairy pushing a badly injured Rattata. Said boy was directly behind the two with navy blue hair and red puffy eyes.

Nurse Joy stood up in exasperation, her hands resting on her hips. "This is the fifteenth time this month that this has happened," she grumbled. Ash raised an eyebrow at the Nurse hoping that she would expand on her statement, and she did. "They all loose to the Vermilion gym leader."

This gym leader must be a great trainer in order to do this to that many challengers. Ash instantly felt glad that he decided to take a year for training first. If he did not that it could have been Pikachu in the hospital bed. He shook his head, but why would a gym leader beat his opponents to such an extent, his mind whispered.

A soft chime turned Ash's attention back towards the Nurse. She smiled sweetly at the boy and explained, "That means your Pokemon are ready."

Funnily enough, Ash saw Pikachu munching on an apple beside five of Ash's Pokeball's. The yellow mouse smiled to itself as it savored the taste, wondering if the Clefairy would give it another one if it asked.

"Pikachu," the boy greeted his Pokemon as it finished the last of its snack. "Are you feeling better now?"

"Pika," said the Pokemon, but it then turned to stare longingly at a Clefairy as it walked by.

Ash chuckled and tapped the pink fairy Pokemon on its back, causing the kind nurturing creature to turn around. "Do you think you can get my Pikachu another apple, he is still hungry."

The Clefairy nodded its head, yes, but, before it could leave to get the treat, all of Ash's Pokemon burst from their red and white homes.

"He, he," the boy laughed awkwardly as he scratched the back of his neck. "Could you make that six apples?"

The fairy Pokemon agreed and quickly shuffled off as if scared the boy would make another request. The big pink Pokemon disappeared from the doorway of the store room. However, it returned shortly after with six shiny red apples cradled in its arms.

"Thank you," the boy said. His Pokemon following suit.

As Ash went to leave, another boy, Clefairy and injured Pokemon came rushing through the Pokemon Center doors.

"Not another one," Nurse Joy groaned as she left her desk to help the Clefairy with their newest patient. Ash had a feeling that until the Indigo League ended, Vermilion Pokemon Center was going to have lots of patients delivered to them in much of the same fashion.

* * *

Ash came and left Vermilion City quickly not even staying three hours. After all, it wasn't like there was anything he needed to do besides heal his pokemon, especially now he knows that his pokedex can be used to exchange pokemon. However, the black haired boy left with a new goal in mind. Next year he was going to return to Vermilion City and beat this super strong gym leader. Yes, next time he returns he will be strong enough to face such a formidable opponent.

* * *

Two weeks later, Ash had to question how he ended up in this situation. He now stood on the sandy beach on an island somewhere between Vermilion City and Porta Vista. All because the cruise ship he was on sunk into the depths of the ocean. Sunk to the sea bed, just like the Titanic, with one exception. There were plenty of life boats when this ship went down, so when it was time to escape Ash found himself lone on the small wooden boat.

By now, the Pokemon that he currently held were almost trained, yet the boy still had to catch three more Pokemon to establish yet another Team.

"Come on out, guys," Ash called out his Pokemon. It was in flashes of white light that the boys five other Pokemon came fourth. "Its time to train," he continued.

The Pokemon signed, even when stuck on a deserted island, their trainer always stuck to the exercising schedule that he created for his Pokemon. His dedication made them admire Ash all the more, although in situations like this it was hard to bring fourth the energy to train.

"Come on, guys. We won;t get stronger if we don't stick to the training schedule," Ash encouraged seeing the look on his Pokemon's faces.

Ash aim for this session was to finally get Metapod to evolve by having his other Pokemon attack it. Hopefully, this would work.

"Okay, Metapod, I want you to use harden in order to withstand the attacks that the others will throw at you. Do you think you can do it?" the boy asked.

Metapod made a sound of agreement as it glowed slightly, beginning to harden its Cocoon.

"Good, Pikachu, use thunder on Metapod," the yellow mouse Pokemon did not hesitate for a second. It knew Ash has spent many nights reading books on how to naturally make you Pokemon evolve and get stronger. Pikachu trusted him. So, the Pokemon quickly sent a bolt of blinding thunder at its Team mate.

"Metapod glowed and hardened again after the attack.

"Poliwag," Ash called next. "Use water gun."

Just like with Pikachu, the tadpole Pokemon was eager to please. After all, it is because of this trainer that it learned the moves dig and double slap.

"Good job, Bulbasaur, use tackle!"

The seed Pokemon charged the bug Pokemon with speed that many people would not believe. Most thought that Bulbasaurs were relatively slow Pokemon due to the large bulb it carries on its back. However, with as much training as it has had, the Pokemon was happy to break the stereotype.

"Charmander, flamethrower."

The fire type Pokemon could now see the strain that Metapod was in as it struggled to harden its body to reduce the amount of damage dealt by their attacks. Maybe that is why it unconsciously reduced the power of its flamethrower.

"Squirtle, tackle Metapod," Ash ordered.

"Squir-" the tiny turtle Pokemon began to agree, but there was no need. In the moment that Ash completed making his command, Metapod began to glow, changing into a Butterfree.

This Pokemon resembled a vaguely anthropomorphic butterfly with a purple body. It only has two body segments and four light blue legs. Ash scanned his newly evolved Pokemon. **"Butterfree, the butterfly Pokemon. In battle, it flaps its wings at high speed to release extremely toxic dust into the air. This Butterfree is male and knows the moves poison powder, gust and sleep powder."**

"Great work, Butterfree. I knew you could evolve," Ash smiled happily at the Pokemon.

* * *

As day turned into night, strange sounds echoed in the forest and large bird-like Pokemon flew over the black haired boys head. For the first time since landing on this island Ash question it. He wanted to know where he was and why the Pokemon were so large here.

The forest stretched on for miles with no end in sight, yet the boy knew he could not stay on the beach any longer. It was too out in the open. Being there made him feel too vulnerable to an attack. So, Ash had to choose; go into the dark forest and face the unknown _if_ he comes across it or stays at the beach where the unknown is _more likely_ to find him.

He chose the forest. It will be there that he will find a safe place to sleep for the night.

* * *

Ash slept through the night without any disturbances for the strange Pokemon that roamed the island. So, when the sun rose and the black haired trainer and his Pikachu woke up, he was confused. He thought that the Island of Giant Pokemon was just a dream. Yet, now he realized that, no, it wasn't a dream. It was very much real.

* * *

Walking deeper into the forest is all that Ash could think of doing to avoid the ginormous Pokemon that wandered free. Since waking up Ash had seen a Pikachu and Charizard, both of which were the size of skyscrapers.

It was while being chased by a jumbo size Blastoise that Ash found a railway cart. He decided to jump in and find out where it will take him, hoping I there will be other humans on the other end of it. At least it would be better than traveling the island by foot.

* * *

Ash felt ridiculous! It turned out that the Island of Giant Pokemon was actually the Island of Giant Mechanical Pokemon created solely for the entertainment of tourists. The boy, after being berated by the managers of the island, just hoped that he would never get into that kind of situation again.


	12. Chapter 12: The Tentacool and Tentacruel

**Chapter 12 Tentacool and Tentacruel**

Finally, Ash had made it to the beautiful town of Ports Vista. The beach was filled with people enjoying the sun that tirelessly beamed down on them. Blue and white building stretched as far as the eye could see.

Since the incident with the giant mechanical Pokemon, Butterfree has learned confusion, Bulbasaur bass learned razor leaf and Poliwag has learned bubble. It was time to catch more Pokemon!

Many people were playing on the beach. Moms say on blankets, while dads taught their kids how to build sand castles or how to swim. Old couples say in chairs eating ice cream and talking about the good old days. Everyone was there to have fun and Ash could not help but succumb to the pull of the blazing sun and cool ocean.

He and his Pokemon play in the water, cooling off their bodies and relaxing their muscles. After leaving the sparkling blue ocean, the white sand stuck persistently to their way dear. It seemed to get everywhere from between Ash's road to under his nails.

While playing at the beach was fun for a while Ash knew that he wanted to go to a few other places before the next boat to the mainland arrived. Maybe on the way, he could catch a Pokemon. However, Ash needed to be careful of what types of Pokemon he caught as he already had their water types. It would be good if he came across a Slowpoke or Slowbro though. This is because he did not yet have any psychic type Pokemon.

As Ash walked around the docks where he would be catching his boat, he noticed an injured Horsea sitting in the water. The Dragon Pokemon then used ink on the water when it knew it has Ash's attention. The Pokemon free a picture with its ability.

Before the picture faded Ash could have sworn it looked like a Tentacool or Tentacruel. Why would Horses show him this?

In the distance, the boy heard a loud explosion and watched as the boat, that just left the dock, split in half. Red and Orange flames billowed off the shop's white body that was sinking lower and lower. Black smoke fogged up the sky covering the yellow ball of heat from Ash's eyes. Free members jumped overboard trusting the water more than a sinking ship.

"Poliwag, Squirtle, I choose you," Ash called for his two water Pokemon. "I need you to help those men while I get a boat."

With no encouragement, the two brave Pokemon dives into the water as Ash ran to find a boat. Soon the boy was driving a speed boat as his Pokemon led the crew members to him. All three men looked half drowned and exhausted. Their damp clothes sticking to their bodies.

Once the man was out of the water, one of them began to rave about needing to tell the boss. However, he was in no shape to do so as his body was paralyzed with his arms above his head. Similar to the other crew members.

Sailing towards shore, all Ash could do was wonder what had made the ship sink.

The men were soon taken to the hospital but Ash could not stop his curiosity. That is until he went to visit the crew members in the hospital. It was there that the black haired trainer came face to face with a small, orange haired bag who ranted about the Tentacool for ruining her business plans.

"You," she pointed her bony old fingers at Ash. "You rescued my sailors."

"Yes, I did," Ash responded trying to resist the urge to run. There was something wrong about that woman. She was the type of person that would do anything if it positively benefited her.

"Great, then you can take care of my little problem. I am sure you have the skill to handle a Tentacool extermination project."

"No thank you," the boy said and walked away.

The nerve of the woman, trying to hirer him to kill Pokemon. No, he would not do that. He did not wish to hurt any Pokemon. This woman that Ash now learned was called Nastina, did not seem deterred by Ash's refusal and instead publicly advertised it in order to get people to do the dirty work for her. The boy decided he wanted nothing to do with what was going on and got out of the woman's way for the next two hours.

That is until we short while later, Ash and the town saw a large black cluster of the Tentacool and Tentacruel in the water. Hundreds of the jelly fish Pokemon flooded the town forcing the town's people to hide in the buildings.

"What are we going to do?" a man muttered worriedly beside the boy. Blue perfectly groomed hair clumsily hangs over a thin radiant face. Shining brown eyes set rooted within their sockets, watch wistfully at the chaos around him. His pale white skin turned paper by the moment. "This is all out fault. We knew Nastina was building her hotel on the Tentacool's home and we let her."

Ash stated at the man, taking in his story as other towns people nodded their heads or shouted their agreement.

"What are you going to do about it then?" Ash questioned the man and the people around him. "Those Pokemon are very angry and, if what you say is true, they won't stop until you feel the pain of loosing your home too!"

"I don't know," the man mumbled. He rung his hands nervously, trying to conjure a plan. Then he would shake his head as if to discard it.

Letting the man develop his own ideas, Ash stated out of the broken Windows of their hiding place. He watched as the small Horsea he saw a few hours ago trying to communicate with the jelly fish Pokemon. However, it's effort did nothing but have it attacked by the other water Pokemon and sent hurling into the air.

"Bulbasaur, go," Ash shouted as he called his grass type Pokemon out. "Use vine whip to catch Horsea."

The small dragon Pokemon soon for itself wrapped in lush green vines that halted it's decent and pulled into the building through the broken window.

"Good job, Bulbasaur," praised the boy. "Return."

"I don't know about you people, but I have six Pokemon who are willing to fight the Tentacool and Tentacruel," the black haired trainer said. He didn't even look at the people as he spoke to them, instead he distracted himself by cradling Horsea in his arms.

"I have a Slowbro and Cloyster," the blue haired man who was previously talking said.

"I have a Poliwrath," another woman volunteered.

"My Krabby will fight," called another person.

Then another person said, "I have an Eevee."

"Then use them," shouted Ash.

The boy then called all of his Pokemon out of their Pokeball's and asked them to drive the jelly fish Pokemon back into the water. Soon half a dozen other Pokemon joined them attacking the enemy Pokemon. The Tentacool, seeing a loosing battle, quickly have into Ash's and the town's people's Pokemon. Yet the Tentacruel did not.

It attacked the boys Pokemon sending one of its tentacles into Pikachu and Butterfree. It then pinned Squirtle and Charmander to the ground. The way this battle was going, the boys Pokemon would not be able to win.

"Please stop, Tentacruel!" shouted a familiar voice. It was the blue haired man trying to talk with the Pokemon in front of him. "Please, go back to the sea. Please listen, Tentacruel. This is enough. We humans understand that we hurt you. We won't destroy your homes anymore. We're sorry!"

Tentacruel dropped the Pokemon that he has clenched in its hold. Walking toward the ocean the jelly fish Pokemon turned back towards the humans. The look sent clearly said that if something like this was to happen again they would suffer worse consequences.

"It would have been cool to catch one of them," Ash sighed as the boat he was on sailed away. They were water and poison types.

"Horsea! Sea," Ash heard as he wallowed in his loss.

"Horsea, what are you doing here?" the boy gasped. The small Pokemon was swimming next to the boat, struggling to keep up its pace. "Do you want to come along with us?" he asked.

The water Pokemon nodded its head, which gave Ash all the permission he needed to catch it. This wasn't exactly the type of Pokemon he wanted to catch, however, he was just as happy that Horsea was his.


	13. Chapter 13: Two New Pokemon

**Chapter 13**

Ash got off the large white cruise ship that had docked at Maidens Peak. The boy could not contain his excitement. He had heard that some ghost type Pokemon haunt this town and he definitely wanted to catch one. This is because he has yet to obtain a ghost type Pokemon, along with an ice, psychic, rock, dragon, dark, steel and fairy type. To be honest, looking at this list of the Pokemon that he had yet to catch, the boy could see a lot of work ahead of him. However, this thought was not daunting, but rather a challenge that he was going to strive to achieve.

When Ash arrived, a voice announced that the town was holding an end of summer festival. But that was not what the black haired boy was interested in. No, he was far more enthusiastic about capturing his next Pokemon.

Various stands were being set up in the town centre, inviting the ship passengers to spend their money. One stand had eerie looking clay masks that were as diverse as the cultures they originated from. Other stands had games that encouraged people to play, earning themselves the reward of a stuffed animal or goldfish. Multiple stands sold mouth watering foods that made Ash's stomach grumble at the smell of them. Maybe he should have something to eat before he went Pokemon hunting. After all, if his stomach growled that loudly, the boy will be far more likely to scare Pokemon away.

Floats and dancers paraded through the festival, throwing confetti into the air. Dozens of people cheered and clapped along with the music around them, smiling widely as they did. Many people wore funny hats, overly large necklaces and outrageously colourful clothes.

The black haired trainer found it hard not to give in to temptation and ended up buying two corn dogs and a toffee apple. However, the food, while unhealthy for him, did a good job at satisfying his hunger for now. There were also foods such as burgers, hot dogs, candy floss, chips, and doughnuts. If only he could eat it all. Yet, he couldn't, not without being sick anyway.

After he finished eating, the boy walked towards an old shrine that some say is haunted by a Maiden. This Maiden was said to be waiting for her lover to return, but he never did, so her soul stayed forever. Ash believed that it was a ghost type Pokemon, not a Maiden that was doing the haunting.

Walking through the older shrine, the floor boards creaked weakly, giving the place a ghostly vibe to it. The sky grew darker minute by minute as the trainer waited for a sign of the 'ghost', the moon shone a misty white. The cold wind gently brushed against Ash and Pikachu's cheeks, leaving the two with a rosy blush and chills crawling down their spines.

"I am waiting for you," a woman's voice whispered longingly in the darkness. "I love you."

Following the voice, Ash found himself walking towards the edge of a cliff. From below the sea could be heard crashing against the sides of the cliff and against the tall stone carving before him. The wind suddenly picked up as it carried the same words on its back.

"I am waiting for you. I love you," the voice whispered, but it was slightly louder now.

Then from the stone carving of the Maiden. emerged her ghostly figure. She had long transparent hair that reaches towards her waist and wore a dress which had hems that brushed against her delicate ankles. As she hovered in front of him, he could see that her eyes were hollow, yet seemed to hold a strong yearning for, what Ash assumed, is the young sailor who never returned. Such a sad and pitiful ghost she was.

That is if she was a ghost, Ash thought as he took out his Pokedex and scanned the being ahead of him.

 **"Gastly,"** the mechanical voice of Dexter said. **"The gas Pokemon. Almost always invisible, the gaseous Pokemon cloaks itself from its target and puts it to sleep without notice."**

"I knew it," Ash smiled as he pocketed his Pokedex and wrapped his fingers around a red and white Pokeball instead.

Since normal and fighting type Pokemon have no effect on ghost Pokemon and bug and poison types are not very effective. Therefore, Ash could not use his Butterfree and Bulbasaur. That left him with Pikachu, Poliwag, Charmander and Squirtle. If he chose a water type Pokemon to begin the battle and then switched it out for Pikachu, then he may be able to defeat the Pokemon. This, Ash thought, would be the best way because if he could get his water type Pokemon to hit Gastly with at least one water gun attack, then using an electric attack just after would increase the effectiveness of it.

"Poliwag, I choose you," Ash shouted calling forth his Pokemon. "Poliwag, use water gun."

Instantly, a powerful burst of water erupted from the tadpole Pokemon's mouth. The blast caught Gastly by surprise, hitting it out of the air in which it floated.

Yes, Ash's mind shouted. No matter what happened now, the boy's plan had been set into motion. The ghost Pokemon was now dripping wet.

Gastly then transformed into a fire breathing dragon Pokemon, scaring Poliwag back into its Pokeball. The ghost type Pokemon laughed a deep cackle and began to taunt Ash and his Pokemon. However, the boy did not give up.

"Pikachu, are you ready?" the boy asked.

"Pika," the yellow mouse nodded as it jumped from it trained shoulder.

"Don't let it transform and scare you," he said grinding his teeth. "Use thunder and follow it up with quick attack."

Pikachu quickly jumped into the air, releasing a strong wave of thunder that lit the night sky, before landing on its feet. However, Gastly had vanished before the attack could hit him and Pikachu could not carry out his follow up attack without knowing where the Pokemon was. The ghost type Pokemon then appeared behind the yellow electric mouse and used lick. This move sent a numbing solution into the Pokemon body, temporarily paralysing it.

The gas Pokemon took one look at the stiff Pokemon before it and then disappeared once more. It wanted to draw out the fun as much as possible, showing the trainer and his Pokemon that it was he, Gastly, that was the strongest.

"Shake it off, Pikachu!" the black haired trainer shouted slightly worried for his Pokemon. However, he needn't have worried and Pikachu soon found the feeling in its fingers. When the electric type Pokemon had full movement back, Ash called, "Use thunder all around you."

While Gastly may be invisible, he is still somewhere close by. So, Ash took a leap of faith and it turned out to be correct. As one of Pikachu's thunderbolt struck the ghost type Pokemon, it immediately became visible, allowing for everyone to see it.

"Use shock wave!"

Pikachu then shouted releasing a wave of yellow power towards the ghost type Pokemon, looking like a ripple in a body of water. It moved toward the Pokemon, hitting Gastly head on, knocking the ghost Pokemon out.

"Pokeball, go," Ash shouted, still pumped with adrenalin, ad he tossed the red and white ball. Hitting Gastly, the ball burst open, causing a white light to encompass it. The light was then sucked inside, the ball slamming closed behind it. For a moment the white button flashed from red to white as the ghost Pokemon fought to get out. It couldn't.

When the button on the ball turned white for the last time, the Pokeball vanished, appearing in Professor Oaks lab with Ash's other Pokemon.

"Yes!" the boy suddenly shouted into the silence. "We caught a Gastly. Two more Pokemon to go and Team Three will be complete."

"Pi, Pikachu," the Pokemon that leapt onto Ash's shoulder cheered.

* * *

After the catch of Gastly, the ghost type Pokemon, Ash and Pikachu were eager to catch their last two Pokemon. This is because they would then be able to exchange Team Two for Team Three and begin training with new Pokemon. So the boy and his Pokemon left the Maiden's Peak early the next morning.

* * *

On his way to Saffron City, Ash decided to take a detour through many forests and meadows in hopes of finding stray Pokemon and he would want to catch. The sun burned brightly through the trees as he walked and it blinded him as he stepped out of a cluster of particularly the thick array of silver birch trees. The boy looked around him and found himself on the edge of a meadow with emerald green grass and the occasional white daisies. It was there that he saw a lone Bellsprout running through the grass.

"Butterfree," the black haired trainer called out his Pokemon. "Use gust of that Bellsprout."

Butterfree's white and black wings fluttered furiously sending sharp torrents of air towards the grass and poison type Pokemon. This Bellsprout retaliated by using vine whip, but due to the amount of training that Butterfree has received, it dodged without any word for Ash.

"Great," the black haired boy praised. "Now use sleep powder."

Butterfree spread its wings, discharging sparkling sleep powder from its body. It covered the flower Pokemon completely, causing it to slowly drift into a deep sleep, as it breathed in the powder. Collapsing onto the meadow ground, the bug type Pokemon began to snore fitfully.

"Pokeball, go," the black haired, black eyed boy shouted, throwing the ball at the sleeping Pokemon. Just like with his last capture Ash had made, the ball soon vanished after Bellsprouts fight had ended.

"One more to go!" Ash shouted into the sky.

"Pikachu!" the mouse Pokemon mimicked.

* * *

 **Chapter updated: 16/12/16**


	14. Chapter 14: Gastly Problems

**Chapter 14 Gastly Problems**

Ash and Pikachu continued their journey. As they pass through a dark, mysterious forest, they could not help but feel dread. Dread at the possibility that danger could lurk in every shadow or behind every they looked forward all they could see is blackness and if the boy and his Pokemon looked back the same blackness would be behind them. As if it were following them.

The day grew darker and Ash began to wonder if he would ever get out of the forest. Hoothoots and Noctowls whispered calls through the tree leaves and Ash found himself chanting, "Please find a way out soon," over and over again.

The black haired boy continued to step blindly until his foot caught something. Tumbling forward, Ash fell face first into the cold hard ground. Turning back, he expected to see a large rock a few feet from his legs. However, it wasn't, instead, the boy saw a very angry Parasect.

"Oh no," Ash groaned as he saw the bug Pokemon prepare itself to attack him.

Quickly and carefully the boy summoned one of his Pokemon. The white glow receded to reveal the orange body of Charmander.

"Charmander, use flamethrower," Ash shouted as he climbed to his feet.

Just as Parasect released its poison powder, Charmander let orange flames erupt from its mouth. The flames burned the poison in the air, stunning the bug Pokemon for just a second.

"Great, now use flamethrower again."

The fire type Pokemon sent another burst of flames towards the mushroom Pokemon. The creature collapsed to the ground with stars in its eyes.

He moves fast enough to grab a Pokeball from his belt and enlarged it. "Pokeball, go," he said, throwing it at his soon-to-be Pokemon. This capture was the last one that he needed to exchange his Pokemon for a completely new team, and that is what he would do as soon as he got out of this forest.

Much to his relief, the black haired boy could finally see the entrance to Saffron City. Happiness swirled in Ash's chest as he was now comforted by the fact that he would not need to sleep in the creepy forest.

"Time to find the Pokemon Center, right Pikachu?" Ash said.

"Pika," the yellow mouse Pokemon yawned its exhaustion.

"Yeah, we could both use a warm bed tonight," the boy smiled and stretched his arms above his head.

* * *

The Pokemon Center was a tall square building painted red and white with massive letter 'P' on its front. Lots of people were going in and booking rooms in order to stay the night. Inside, many Pokemon trainers sat around the fire or at tables eating their evening meals. Ash, decided to follow the same path as his fellow trainers, walked over to a large white desk that Nurse Joy sat behind. Her pink hair was tied back in exactly the same style as the Joy he met before this one and the one before that.

"Hello, Nurse Joy," Ash greeted the kind healer.

"Hello, young man how can I help you," she asked, giving a closed mouth smile to the boy in front of her.

"I would like a room for the night and a meal for me and my Pokemon," the boy stated, watching as Nurse Joy typed his request into the computer.

"Yes, I see no problem with that," she said and handed him a key. "You are on the second floor, room thirteen." Ash was then given a meal voucher with a sandwich printed onto it. "If you go to the canteen and show it to the Clefairy working and you will be able to get you meals."

After Ash paid the Nurse and said his thank yous, he immediately went to the canteen. He blindly looked at the titles and descriptions of the food that he grabbed and placed onto the tray he had before him. On the tray, the sandwich he picked up looked particularly tasty, besides a packet of crisps and two pieces of fruit. When he got to the counter and presented the voucher to the Clefairy, the Pokemon quickly disappeared from sight. It reappeared shortly after with a bowl of specialised food for each of his Pokemon.

Finally, the group filled their stomachs, not wasting time to savour the taste of the food in front of them.

* * *

The next morning, Ash woke up and flipped open his Pokedex. Pressing the white button he selected Butterfree, Poliwag, Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle. This time he will be exchanging them for Magikarp, Horsea, Bellsprout, Gastly and Parasect. It took just a moment for the switch to occur.

"Time to start training," the boy said to his Pokemon.

Quickly, Ash hazardously threw his clothes on, rushing down the stairs to the training grounds outside.

As the black haired boy released his Pokemon from their balls. He then raised his red and white Pokedex, listening to the mechanical voice, "Magikarp, the fish Pokemon. In the distant past, it was somewhat stronger than the horribly weak descendants that exist today. This shiny Magikarp is female and knows the move splash."

Ash frowned at the Pokedex's commentary, catching a glimpse of his Magikarp as it bowed its head in shame. "Don't worry, Magikarp," Ash told the fish Pokemon. We can teach you some moves and train you to increase your swimming speed."

Magikarp smiled, "Karp."

Then the black haired boy continued to listen intently. **"** **Horsea, the dragon Pokemon. Known to shoot down flying bugs with precise blasts of ink from the surface of the water. This Horsea is male and knows the moves smokescreen, leer and water gun.**

 **Bellsprout, the flower Pokemon. A carnivorous Pokemon that traps and eats bugs. It uses its roots to soak up needed moister. This Bellsprout is female and knows the moves vine whip and wrap.**

 **Gastly, the gas Pokemon. Almost invisible, this gaseous Pokemon cloaks the target and puts it to sleep without notice. This Gastly is male and know lick, spite and confuse ray.**

 **Parasect, the mushroom Pokemon. A host-parasite pair in which the parasite mushroom has taken over the host bug. It prefers damp places. This Parasect is male and knows the moves poison powder, stun spore, and leech life."**

"Okay everyone, follow Pikachu," the black haired boy announces. "First we are going to run - swim or fly - and then we will do strengthening exercises after. Ready, let's go!"

Gastly snorted and, instead of training with the rest of the Pokemon, it turned itself invisible in order to stealthily following the Bellsprout. The flower Pokemon did not realise it was being shadowed until it heard a spine-chilling laugh coming from behind her.

Bellsprout trembled to its roots as it slowly turned its head to face the thing that was behind her.

"Gastly," the ghost Pokemon snickered before it changed its body into a giant pair of shears.

"Sprout!" the grass type Pokemon shouted in fear, increasing its running speed. She shot past Ash and Pikachu with the shears right on its tail, snapping ominously at its stem.

"Ah!" Ash cried out as he moved out of the way. "Gastly stop that!"

However, the ghost type Pokemon refused to listen to the black haired trainer. Ash sighed and began chasing after the gas Pokemon that was chasing Bellsprout. He continued to yell at the Pokemon to stop, but the more it disobeyed, the more frustrated Ash became. Until the boy decided to return the troublesome creature to its Pokeball.

Now looking down at the ball in his hand, Ash signed. "What is the matter with you, Gastly?" he questioned.

After the incident with the ghost type Pokemon, the rest of the training session went well. However, all the black haired boy could think about was why Gastly would play up in such a way. Maybe he just enjoyed pranking other people? Or maybe he resented Ash for catching him the way the boy did? He didn't know what to think.

So, when the training was over for the day, Ash went over to the Pokemon Centers videophone. He dialed Professor Oaks number and waited for the gray-haired man to answer.

"Hello, Ash," the Professor greeted. "I was wondering when you might call. Do you have good news?"

"Actually, Professor, I don't," Ash sighed, depressed by the morning events. "You know that I exchanged my Pokemon this morning. Well, I am having a problem with Gastly."

"Well Ash," the Professor started rubbing his chin with his hand, expressing the fact that he was thinking. "I don't know what kind of problems you two are having, but it may be that you just need time to get to know each other. Talk to each other."

"You're right," the black haired boy said. "I won't give up yet."

"That is great, Ash," smiled the old man. "Well, it is great to hear from you. In fact, I just spoke to the other trainers that left Pallet Town the same time as you. They all have five gym badges already. However, none of them have exchanged their Pokemon and spent as much time with them as you have."

"Wow, really," the black haired trained said in awe. "Everyone is doing so well."

"You are doing really great Ash," the gray-haired man praised. "Although Gary has already caught sixty Pokemon."

* * *

After the depressing conversation, Ash decided it was time to set out for his next bug adventure. So, saying goodbye to Nurse Joy and returning his key, he then walked down the dirt road with meadows on one side and trees on the other. Celadon City was a days walk from where Ash was now, it was located in Central Kanto. It is there that the black haired boy will find his next warm bed and a videophone. Maybe next time he will call his mother, she was probably really worried about him. Besides, not that he would admit it out loud but, he really missed her.

Strolling down the road, Ash heard the rustling of leaving and the crunching of sticks beneath an unknown creature's feet. Maybe this was his chance to bond with Gastly - by catching a new Pokemon together.

Ash slowly reach for the occupied Pokeball on his belt just as a small, quadruped rodent-like Pokemon emerged from the bush. It was a light blue with darker spots and had large, shiny ears with teal insides.

"Gastly, I choose you," the trainer said.

The gas Pokemon appeared in a beam of light. "Want to try and catch a Pokemon," the black haired boy asked.

Gastly stared at the unusual boy in front of him. It did not want to catch Pokemon, it wanted to be challenged and evolve. It wanted to be stronger that any other Pokemon, but did not see how a silly human could help with that. That is why it liked coming out with new ways to scare people, it made him stronger and aided him in improving his fighting strategies. Or at least that is what the ghost type Pokemon believed.

"Gas, gastly," the Pokemon shook his head and turned itself invisible in an attempted to avoid the human trainer.

"Urg," Ash protested. Then quickly returning the misbehaving Pokemon he said, "I guess you don't want to help catch a Pokemon either."

While Ash may have given up on Gastly too quickly, the boy did not want to risk the Pokemon in front of him running away. So, weighing his options and thinking about what Pokemon would be best to fight it, Ash finally chose Parasect.

"Parasect, I choose you."

Parasect came out of the Pokeball with all the eagerness that Gastly did not have.

"Parasect, use poison powder," the black haired boy said.

The parasitic mushrooms on the Pokemon's back glowed a dark purple before sparking powder burst from its body. However, as the attack launched itself at the Nidoran, the Pokemon opened its mouth showing two pearly white teeth. Unexpectedly, purple needles of poison exploded from its mouth, destroying the poison in the air, leaving the two Pokemon standing face to face.

"Use leech life," Ash instructed.

The bug type Pokemon relaxed and allowed its body to glow a dark red, then sent the red mist inching towards the poison pin Pokemon in front of it. This attack caused the same parasitic mushrooms that grew on Parasect to start sprouting on their opponents light blue body, weakening it.

"Stun spore," came a two worded order and with one last attack, Nidoran dropped tot he ground.

Ash threw a Pokeball at the exhausted creature, observing as the white button flashed red before permanently staying white.

"Excellent Parasect," said the trainer as he ran other to the Pokemon. "You helped catch your first Pokemon."

"Para," the Pokemon blushed at the praise.

* * *

Ash continued on his path, stopping about two hours later to train and then feed his Pokemon. The black haired boy had all his Pokemon, with the exception of Gastly, running through the forest or swimming in the river. When their run was complete, he tied rocks to his water type Pokemon and had his other Pokemon lifting rocks above their head, in order to improve their strength.

Proceeding towards Celadon City, the only thing the black haired boy could do to keep himself entertained was talk with Pikachu and count his steps. So, when Ash could see buildings towering towards the sky, he was thankful for the sight. He was so close and he had made it in just under a day, even with stopping for over an hour. Feeling dirty and sweaty from his trek, the boy now realised that he desires more than just a warm bed but a hot bath or shower as well.

* * *

 **Hello readers,**

 **I just wanted to tell you that I will be constantly cycling new Pokemon into this first story. So, those that are on team one and two may not appear very often now. However, they will return when Ash starts challenging gyms.**

 **Thank you to** Lloryn **for bringing my attention to a mistake in this chapter :-)**


	15. Chapter 15: Issues of Power

**Chapter 15 Issues of Power**

In Celadon City life was much more fast paced than Ash realized. Roads have cars constantly breezing by beeping their horns at those who attempted to cross them. Shops littered the streets displaying clothes, food, games and more to everyone who passes. One of the most popular stores was a perfume shop, which sold a variety of scents that were manufactured by Celadon City gym. Not that the trainer was that interested in that sort of thing.

Celadon City's Pokemon Center was small with two stories of guest rooms and a ground floor used to treat and heal Pokemon. The roof was sky blue with a blue and white Pokeball sitting on top. Surprisingly, there were not many Pokemon trainers going in or out of the Center. Maybe it was due to the fact that it was only a short journey to Saffron City, where the prices were more affordable.

At the Pokemon Center, Ash followed the same routine as before. Purchasing a room and a food voucher. The black haired trainer then went outside and called forth all of his Pokemon, ordering them to follow Pikachu's lead.

Ash watched as Gastly once again ignored him, and began to pull pranks on his fellow Pokemon. Both scaring and distracting them.

The training session soon came to an end with Ash calling everyone back, excluding Gastly. The black haired trainer's shoulders were slumped as he approached the ghost type Pokemon and said, "I don't know what you want from me, Gastly. Do you not want to train and get stronger?"

"Gas, Gastly," the Pokemon nodded, finally listening to what the boy had to say.

"Then why do you not want to train or fight in battles?" he questioned waving his hands for emphasis.

"Gas, Gastly. Gas Gas," the Pokemon tried to explain.

"What?" Ash tilted his head in confusion as he tried to decipher was the gas Pokemon was trying to tell him. After Gastly repeated himself two more times, the black haired boy understood. "You do not think this type of training will help you?"

"Gas," the ghost type Pokemon nodded.

"Bit it will," Ash exclaimed and dropped his backpack to the ground with a loud thud. From inside his bag, the black haired boy pulled out two heavy books. "See, loot at this," he said. The black haired trainer then flipped through a book titled 'Pokemon and the Strength they Really Hold' and showed Gastly a picture of another ghost type Pokemon carrying out similar exercises.

"All Pokemon need to increase their strength, endurance, and speed and there are only a certain number of exercises that can help them with this," the black haired boy explained.

"And look at this," shouted Ash as he pulled out his Pokedex. With Gastly hovering at his shoulder, Ash got up a list of his captured Pokemon and explained, "Pidgeotto evolved while struggling to fight off people who call themselves Team Rocket. Rattata evolved into Raticate while battling to capture my Poliwag and Butterfree and Golbat evolved through training."

"Gastly," murmured the Pokemon in a tone that clearly said 'is that so'.

Then without anyone saying anything, Gastly made his way back outside and began to train by itself. He spent hours out there and would have been there longer if Ash had not called him back to eat with the other Pokemon. However, the black haired boy had a feeling that there would be no problems from now on. Professor Oak was right.

As if a light bulb went off in Ash's head, the trainer jumped from his seat on the table, shouting, "Oh no!" He then ran to the first available videophone and dialed his mother.

"Pika," the yellow mouse Pokemon said shaking its head at his sometimes silly and forgetful owner.

"Hi, mom," Ash greeted upon seeing the screen flash on. His mother had her brown chestnut hair tied back into a ponytail, wearing a white apron over her light blue dress.

"Oh Ash, sweetie, it is so nice to hear from you," his mom smiled whipping tears from her eyes. "I thought you forgot all about me."

"Of course not," Ash jumped to reassure her and then asked in a much calmer voice. "So, how have you been?"

"I've been great, sweetie. In fact, I have been helping Professor Oak with the Pokemon and his research. You caught such an adorable Horsea," the woman said.

"I am glad you found something to do," the black haired boy sighed in relief. "So you have probably met all of my Pokemon then?"

"Oh yes, and you did a great job training them," his mother noted and then raised her finger pointing upwards. "In fact, you motivated them so much that they train, even here in the lab."

"That's great, mom," the black haired trainer smiled. "But tell them not to work too hard."

"I will," she said. "I have to go now, Ash. Remember to-"

"Change my underwear. I know, mum," the boy whispered feeling his cheeks begin to burn, yet tried to play it cool by rolling his eyes at his mother.

After Ash's short conversation he returned to the table to see that all of his Pokemon had eaten and fallen asleep. He laughed quietly, returning them to their poke balls and carefully scooping Pikachu up into his arms, he began walking towards his room.

The morning, once again, found Ash and Pikachu leaving the Pokemon Center bright and early. He wanted to cover as much ground as he could, so he did not bother stopping anywhere until he got to his destination. He went straight through HopHopHop Town, not needing any supplies from himself and his Pokemon. Then he passed off an offer to participate in the P1 Grand Prix, claiming that he will do it next year, as all he wanted and aimed to do was train and catch Pokemon. He also did not have his own fighting type Pokemon, Mankey, with him.

Ash and Pikachu's journey leads them to a desolate factory town known as Gringey City. It is a depressing place with a sky that is stained black from the pollution and the water is too filthy to swim in. A very small number of people lived here, most of them the employees, and even the wind smelled like , Ash was here because he knew that certain types of Pokemon were attracted to this type of environment, especially poison and dark type Pokemon.

Factories were built side by side, one after another, making Ash quickly grow sick of the sight. However, unlike Pikachu, Ash's sickness was nothing physical. The yellow electric mouse Pokemon's cheeks continued to spark with static electricity and its body began to burn up.

Unsure of what to do, the black haired boy rushed through the City, searching for a Pokemon Center. When Ash finally found the place, his mind took no notice of the building details, his only concern was Pikachu. In fact, the only thing he did register was the bell that customers rang to call for a staff member.

When he slammed his hand down on the button, a soft chime rippled through the building. Then from the staff room, a yawning and drowsy looking Nurse Joy walked towards the black haired boy, who clutched his sick Pokemon in his arms.

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" Nurse Joy berated the boy. "Don't you know that you should be sleeping by now?"

"I am sorry," Ash apologized as his arms tightened around the yellow mouse Pokemon. "But my Pikachu isn't feeling very well."

Nurse Joy yawned once again and glanced briefly at Ash's Pokemon. "A cold," was all she said.

The black haired trainer felt his eyebrows twitch in anger and irritation. "This is not a cold," he said through his teeth. "I have read about cold symptoms in different types of Pokemon and they don't just sporadically appear upon entering a different City."

"Calm down, there's no need to worry," the Nurse told the boy. "The sparks that are coming from its cheeks are early signs of a cold in rodent Pokemon. If you leave it here overnight, he will be fine in the morning."

"Okay," Ash gave in.

Suddenly, all of the lights within the Pokemon Center went out, drowning Ash, Pikachu and Nurse Joy in darkness.

"Oh no," Nurse Joy said rushing away from Ash and into another room.

The black haired boy followed behind her. In the room, there were over a dozen Pokemon in see-through glass boxes, all of them motionless.

"What is wrong?" he asked.

"These Pokemon are in intensive care. If we do not get the electricity back on, I don't want to think about what will happen to them."

There was a short silence, followed by Ash shouting, "Look after Pikachu." Before running out of the door without any other explanation.

The black haired boy ran toward the police station that he had walked past upon arriving in the gloomy City. With no street lights on, Ash's journey was much more difficult than the first time. However, even through the black fog generated from the factories, the bright blue police station was relatively easy to see.

"Officer Jenny," Ash called from the woman ad he ran into the building. "Officer Jenny! You need to find out what is happening with the electricity."

"I've already tried, but there's no answer at the power plant," the woman responded.

"The Pokemon Center doesn't have much time," Ash stressed. "Where's the power plant?"

"It's the big building, that way," Jenny said pointing out the direction with her finger.

As Ash turned in that direction, the rusting of leave caught his sight. He stared at the bush long and hard while whatever was in there fought it way out.

"Pikachu," Ash exclaimed, catching the Pokemon as it fell and lifted it into his arms. "You are supposed to stay with Nurse Joy."

The yellow mouse Pokemon gave Ash a pleading look, causing the black haired boy to sigh dramatically. "Alright, but you have to take it easy."

Inside the power plant was just as dark as outside. It was lucky that the black haired trainer and his Pikachu were able to make out the black, shadowy outlines of flower pots, bins, and sofas or else he would have tripped over a dozen times by now. The strange thing was that Ash could not see anyone in the building. Why would the employees abandon the place?

As Ash followed the corridor deeper into the plant, a chill crept down the boy's spine as if something had just passed behind him. Turning around he saw nothing, however, when he went to move forward again a small dark figure hovered in front of his face.

"Ah!" the black haired boy exclaimed.

A light blue steel body in the shape of a sphere was a hair's breadth from Ash. It was bound together with screws, two small ones on either side of the bottom half of its body and one large one on top of its head. The single glowing eyes are what surprised Ash the most. It was almost as big as the two horseshoe magnets on either side of its body.

With one passing look at Ash, the magnet Pokemon made its way over to Pikachu, who the black haired boy had accidentally dropped in his scare.

Pikachu jumped in fear and started to panic. The yellow mouse Pokemon waved its arms around trying to swat the creature away. However, the magnet Pokemon was not to be deterred. It circled Pikachu in admiration, following the electric Pokemon wherever it ran.

"Hey Magnemite, can you stop that?" Ash asked a politely as he could. "Pikachu doesn't like it."

Instantly, the strange Pokemon disappeared, leaving the trainer and his Pokemon in wonder over its odd behavior.

CLASH!

Ash and Pikachu jumped, feeling their heart leap into their throats. One of the vent guard rails slammed heavily to the floor a few feet behind the pair. The sound of cool steel against icy concrete ricocheted off the walls.

The two slimy, amorphous blob-like Pokemon push through. they seemed to be made of purple sludge, with two large eyes containing beady pupils. It had a gaping mouth with a gray tongue. While the Pokemon appeared to have no legs, it did have two arms with three digits on each hand.

"Urg!" Ash gagged as he pinched his nose with his thumb and forefinger. "It stinks!"

The Pokemon was Grimer, one of the foulest types of Pokemon that enjoy living in this type of environment. The problem was that every time Ash blinked more of these blob-like Pokemon appeared from within the vent.

"No wonder Magnimite disappeared so fast," the black haired boy moaned to Pikachu and the yellow mouse Pokemon could not help but agree.

Then, materializing as if out of nowhere, a sludge Pokemon two, maybe three times as tall and large as Grimer revealed itself. It was Muk, Grimers evolved form. While this Pokemon's eyes were much smaller that its previous form in the evolutionary chain, everything else was much bigger.

"I say we run," Ash told Pikachu in a hushed whisper, not willing to take his eyes of the creatures before him as they still continued to increase in number.

"Pika," the mouse Pokemon agreed from part the way down the corridor. It was already one step ahead of its trainer, putting as much distant between it and the Grimer as fast as possible.

"Hey, wait up!" the black haired boy yelled running after his Pokemon, the Grimers and Muk following close behind him.

Shooting around the corner at fall speed, Ash did not expect to run into someone. He thought that place was abandoned, so the idea of people being here did not cross his mind.

"What are you doing here," ordered one of two men that the boy had run into. This man had thick black hair that was brushed neatly to the side of his head and pale skin. He wore a light blue body suit with dark blue bands around his waist, cuffs, and shoulders.

"Sorry," Ash apologized. "We have to skip the introductions for a while and get out of here before-"

As if on queue the horde of Gramers swept around the corner, diving towards them.

The men cried out and began running back to their control room, in the opposite direction that the Grimers came in, not caring if they left the black haired Pokemon trainer behind or , of course, was not about to be eaten by the smelly creatures and cradled his electric mouse Pokemon into his arms and kept running.

Moments later, the small group burst into a comfortingly empty room, locking the door behind them. Hopefully, the Grimer will not be able to get in.

"What on Earth is happening here?" Ash panted trying to catch his breath. "The entire city has gone dark and the Pokemon Center needs power."

"But we can't get the power back on," the second man said, he was wearing a similar outfit to the first man, but instead he had thin, light brown hair and chocolate brown eyes. "The Grimer are blocking the seawater intake. We need that so that we ca then bring it to a boil and use the steam to turn the turbines, which will run the generators."

BANG! BANG! BANG!

"Oh no, the Grimer are trying to break down the door," Ash said as he dropped Pikachu and rushed towards the door, pushing against the Grimers.

BANG! BANG! BANG!


	16. Chapter 16: Digging Deeper

**A few of you guys have been asking about Safari Zones. I would like to say that, yes, Ash will be travelling to one and it will be in a few chapters from now. However, Ash will not catch all of the Pokemon you have asked for, as he will be going back to the Safari Zone next year when he starts earning gym badges.**

 **Chapter 16**

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The Grimers burst through the door and filled the room. Ash didn't know what to do, sure he had Pokemon but they would become exhausted before they would defeat a quatre of the blob-like Pokemon that now surrounded them. Then they would have to defeat Muk.

Another clash of a vent guard caught the group's attention as it fell from the ceiling, squishing a Grimer beneath it. Over a dozen Magnemites and Magnetons flew out of the vent and down towards Ash, the working men, and Pikachu. They shielded the black haired boy and the others from the sludge Pokemon. Altogether these steel Pokemon sent a strong bolt of electricity through the Grimers, causing them to scream out in pain. Eventually, all of the Grimers began to flee, running away in fear of the Magnemite and Magneton, unblocking the waterway.

Light suddenly filled every inch of the Power Plant and the City. However, there was still one Pokemon left. It stayed stubbornly behind as the others fled, still wanting to have its fun.

"Pikachu," Ash said looking down at the Pokemon. "Do you think you can use thunder on it?"

Pikachu nodded and released a wave of yellow power from its body, shocking the Muk.

Ash reached for a Pokeball and threw it at the poison type Pokemon, catching it. However, Muk wasn't the only Pokemon Ash wanted to catch. He wanted Magnemite.

"Bellsprout, I choose you," the black haired trainer shouted. "Use vine whip and slam Magnemite into the ground."

Bell," the flower Pokemon said as it followed the command.

Bellsprouts vines wrapped around Magnemites two horseshoe magnets and flung the Pokemon into the ground. However, as it lifted the electric type Pokemon into the air to repeat the action electricity curved its way down Bellsprouts vines.

"You're alright, Bellsprout," Ash encouraged. "Electric type moves are not very effective against grass types." The boy did not mention the fact that the flower Pokemon was also part poison type.

"Bell," the Pokemon shouted more determined than ever.

"Great, use vine whip like you did last time!"

Bellsprout repeated the same action as before managing to hit the magnet Pokemon into the ground twice before it was electric shocked.

"Bellsprout, use-" Ash paused at his next instruction. Not because he didn't know what move his Pokemon should carry out next, but because it began to spew purple powder from its mouth. She had learned poison powder.

Ash knew that this attack would not have an effect on their opponent, however, the boy was just excited by the fact that his Pokemon had learned a new move.

"Great job," Ash praised. Then held out a Pokeball and said, "Bellsprout return."

The black haired boy then selected another Pokeball from his belt. "Gastly, I choose you."

The gas Pokemon quickly emerged and listen intently for Ash's order.

"Use confuse ray," he ordered.

Gastly's eyes began to glow a deep purple as it stared, transfixed, at the steel and electric type Pokemon in front of him. The enemy Pokemon then began to glow the same colour. Suddenly, as if pulled by strings, the Magnemite bounced off of the ceiling, walls, and floor.

"Now, sucker punch."

Once again, Gastly began to glow as its purple gas slowly began to build up, creating a fist. As Magnemite was still recovering from its last attack, it was not prepared to dodge nor counter attack when the dark type move came towards it. Gastly's fist hit Magnemite in the eye, sending the Pokemon flying back into the wall behind it. It then collapsed on the ground, not able to move due to the damage it received.

"Pokeball, go!" Ash shouted.

The Pokemon was sucked into the black haired boys Pokeball and closed tight behind it. The red light flashed once, twice, three times before ceasing and vanishing from the floor.

"Alright!" Ash cheered.

"Pikachu!" mimicked the yellow mouse Pokemon.

"Pikachu, you are all better," Ash exclaimed brushing the back of his hand against the electric types forehead.

"Yes, I've heard that sometimes if an electric type Pokemon builds up too much electricity it appears as if it has a cold. So when Pikachu attacked that Muk with its thunder, it probably relieved him of the energy," the other Power Plant worker explained.

"I knew it was not a cold," muttered Ash as he crossed his arms over his chest.

* * *

So, at the end of the day, Ash had caught two new Pokemon. This meant that Team Four was almost complete and Ash could tick a steel type Pokemon off of his list of Pokemon types that he had yet to catch. This left him with psychic, dark, fairy, ice and a dragon type Pokemon left to catch. However, he wanted to evolve his Magikarp into a Gyarados first.

* * *

It has been several months now since Ash and Pikachu had left Pallet Town. The boy's journey had led them to the mountains where he hoped to find a secluded spring to have his water type Pokemon battle each other. He had finally taught Magikarp the tackle attack, bringing its moves set up to two and, while it is one move less than Horsea, it will give the fish Pokemon a fighting chance.

Suddenly, the ground beneath the pair began to shake as if an earthquake had just passed through. However, as quick as it came, it left, leaving behind a very confused trainer and his Pikachu.

"I wonder what that was," the black haired boy asked himself.

Another bang followed by a small tremor sounded from the distance. Ash tilted his head considering what to do and then shrugged his shoulders, walking towards the origin of the quake. He could not help himself. He was curious, just as anybody else would have been in his situation.

The trainer and his Pikachu ran up the hill, passing trees and scared, fleeing Pokemon. Nevertheless, they continued, speeding towards the unknown danger ahead. The boy could not stop thinking that if his mother could see him and the mischief he got himself into, she would most definitely ground him for the rest of his lift. She would discipline him for the sole reason that he had put himself in a situation that could lead to injury.

That danger was soon found in the form of four armoured trucks, one painted red, one blue and two black. Ash watched as they journeyed further up the hill, his jaw dropping. There were not four armoured, there were ten times that amount plus two cement mixers. They drove towards a large wall that was partially constructed and covered in yellow waterproof sheets.

Boom! An explosion sounded turning Ash's attention towards the noise as the earth began to quiver once more. Large boulders were being blown off of the sides of the cliffs and mountains. The construction workers allowed the heavy masses of rock to tumble hazardly towards the ground. This resulted in another loud 'boom' and the earth shaking.

Watching the truck drive up the mountain Ash cried out in shock as one tilted on its side, smashing into the truck beside it. After that, chaos erupted as a handful of vehicles began to pile on top on one another. Clouds of dust fogging the air.

Pikachu's ears twitched, hearing something that Ash and all the other humans could not. "Diglett, dig, Diglett, dig," the soft sound filled the yellow mouse's ears. The rodent Pokemon then stared, transfixed on a sport a ruler's length away from him.

"Diglett," a strange brown Pokemon jumped out, causing Pikachu to jump slightly.

"Pika," the yellow electric mouse said in relief and then hopped towards the Pokemon.

It had a tiny brown body that was perpetually buried within the earth, leaving only its head visible. It had beady black eyes and a large pink nose.

"Diglett," the Pokemon smiled and then disappeared back into the ground.

"Weird," was all Ash could say.

The black haired boy then ran over to a man who cried with an Italian accent, "I just can't take it anymore. The Diglett are ruining everything!" He wore a yellow hard hat with yellow suspenders and a blue shirt.

"So that is why your trucks crashed," Ash concluded not expecting the man to rage.

"Tanks to them we can't fishing building that," he shouted indicating to the half built yellow construction site. "I hate Digletts! They won't let us build the dam. We were hired to build the dam!"

"Oh, well maybe there's a way I can help," Ash rationalised. Trying to calm the man down.

"There is!" he exclaimed. "We are calling for all Pokemon trainers in the area to help us get rid of them. The reward is a seven-day, six-night stay at a resort."

"I am sorry," Ash suddenly said scratching the back of his neck. "It is not within my morals to drive Pokemon away from their homes."

The man sighed and collapsed to the ground, "Now we will have to wait for the other Pokemon trainers to arrive."

Just as the man said this a shiny red car sped down the valley, stopping in front of the defeated builder and apologetic trainer. Inside the car were more woman than seats, some with brown hair, some with blue, blonde and black hair. However, it was the brown haired boy in the driver's seat that caught Ash's attention.

"Have no fear," the boy shouted. "We have arrived." He then indicated to four large blue and white buses following behind him. "The rest are in there."

"Gary," Ash groaned pulling his hand down his face and then turning to the man before him. "Once again, Sir, I am terribly sorry." The black haired trainer then turned to leave.

"Ah!" Gary Oak exclaimed recognising Ash. "Well, if it isn't little Ash from Pallet Town. What are you doing here?"

"Nothing," Ash responded not wanting to start anything with the annoying, spoilt grandson of Professor Oak. "I was just leaving."

"Yes, it must just be a coincidence because only the best are invited," Gary said puffing up his chest proudly like a bird in mating season.

Ash could not help but want to knock that boy from the high pedestal he had just placed himself on. "Actually, I was just informed by this gentleman here that they are that desperate anyone will do. So I guess you are 'anyone'."

"What!" Gary spluttered as Ash walked back towards the forest.

Little did the black-haired trainer know that a group of Diglett were watching his enter conversation. The small creatures began to talk to each other in hushed whispers, all of them having a say. Then silence fell over them as one of the mole Pokemon nodded and vanished into the ground. After a moment the others followed.

* * *

"Finally," Ash shouted towards the sky. It had taken the boy a long time to find the perfect place to train Magikarp and this was it. Ash had found a beautiful spring leading off from the waterful. Water sailed over green, moss covered rocks, splashing into the basin below. White foam and bubbles appeared as water hit water. The sound of rushing water was calm like mother nature's sweet lullaby.

"Alright everyone, come on out!" Ash called and when all his Pokemon appeared he continued, "You know the drill." Then turning to his two water type Pokemon he smiled, "Magikarp, you and Horsea are going to have a mock battle. Are you ready?"

The fish Pokemon responded enthusiastically, splashing its fins into the water. In the corner of Ash's eye, the black haired boy saw Parasect, who had its claws out in front of it, slicing at a truck of a tree. It was trying to learn the ability fury cutter. Bellsprout had Pikachu batting rocks off its tail, the Pokemon tried to learn razor leaf and iron tail. Gastly was doing something similar to Parasect to learn sucker punch.

"Magikarp, tackle," Ash ordered.

The shiny Magikarp dived towards Horsea, its eyes transfixed on its opponent. So, when the small Pokemon tried to dodge, it still managed to move its body to clip Horsea's side. Although the damage was not severe enough to affect the dragon species Pokemon.

Horsea then reared its head back shooting pressurised water at the golden fish Pokemon in front of it.

"Magikarp, dive underwater and then use tackle," Ash continued.

The fish Pokemon did as it was told, efficiently dodging the water gun attack. It then swam through the water, gaining speed, hitting Horsea from underneath.

The small dragon Pokemon flew into the air, landing in the water with a violent splash.

Magikarp resurfaced with a pleased sparkle in its eyes as Horsea pouted and in a temper tantrum, used smokescreen. This attack allowed for Horsea to disappear from sight without the other water type Pokemon knowing.

"Magikarp, go back under where you will be able to see and use tackle when you get the chance," the black haired trainer said.

The golden fish Pokemon plunged back under, all sound becoming muffled. Swimming through the water the shiny Magikarp looked left and right, not seeing Horsea anywhere.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, the small blue Pokemon dropped in front of the fish and used leer. This caused Magikarp to panic as it sent its stomach twisting sickeningly. Then she remembered Ash's words, shooting towards it.

Horsea was knocked backwards, panting due to Magikarps constant attacks. It was getting tired. However, so was Magikarp.

The dragon species Pokemon used water gun again, but this time Magikarp was too slow to dodge. Ash then ordered the fish Pokemon to use splash, which caused Horsea to be submerged in water.

"Magikarp, use-" Ash started but smiled as not one but two of his Pokemon began to evolve before his eyes. It was amazing seeing them both glow with the brilliant evolutionary light, simultaneously.

Magikarp evolved into Gyarados. This was a serpentine Chinese dragon-like Pokemon, which was mostly red with a black underbelly and black spots along its back. It has a three pointed crimson red crest on its head and four black, dorsal fins. When Ash scanned it with his Pokedex the small machine said, "Gyarados, the atrocious Pokemon. Rarely in the wild, this huge and vicious Pokemon is capable of destroying entire cities in a range. This shiny Gyarados is female and knows the moves thrash and hydro pump."

Then turning to Horsea who evolved into Seadra, the Pokedex said,"Seadra, the dragon Pokemon. Capable of swimming backwards by rapidly flapping its wing-like pectoral fins and stout tail. This Seadra is male and knows the moves bubble, leer smokescreen and hydro pump."

"Awesome," Ash shouted in the silent that followed the double evolution. "Horsea evolved too!"

At Ash's exclamation, all of his Pokemon gathered around to celebrate with the two water Pokemon, screaming in delight and awing at their friend's new forms.

"Diglett, Diglett," a voice emerged from between Seadra and Pikachu.

"Diglett?" Ash said silently wondering what the mole Pokemon was doing here.

"Dig!" is said and began to move away. Its body still protruding from the ground so that Ash and Pikachu could see its every movement.

"I think it wants us yo follow it, Pikachu," the black haired boy said as he returned the rest of his Pokemon. "Wait up!" he shouted, running to catch up with the mole Pokemon that did not look back to see if the pair were following.

* * *

They ran past the construction site where the man with the Italian accent was playing whack-a-mole with the small brown Pokemon. They ran past trees and many other Diglett that were carrying branches on top of their heads, moving in an organised line like ants. They even ran past some Dugtrio.

When the Diglett stopped, Ash finally understood. The branches carried by the mole Pokemon were used to plant trees in what the black haired boy assumed was their home. The Dugtrio ploughed the earth and the Diglett planted. The mountain was their backyard. It was a strange concept to make sense of, but it fit. What if all of the beautiful scenery that Ash and Pikachu had seen in their travels were created by these Pokemon?

* * *

It was early in the morning when Ash went to inform the Italian man of what he had discovered and he happily stopped the dam construction. They both realised that if the dam was built it would result in many of the forest Pokemon and ground type Pokemon to lose their homes. The man had learned his lesson. Or at least Ash hoped that he would not jump to hating the next Pokemon that tried to interrupt his work.

"Diglett," the Pokemon popped out of the ground just before Ash's feet.

"What is it, Diglett?" Ash asked the mole Pokemon as he crouched down. "You are safe now. Your home won't be destroyed anymore."

"Dig, Diglett," shouted the small brown Pokemon. "Diglett!"

"I think," the man with the yellow hard hat still sat on his head. "That the Diglett wants to go with you."

Ash looked down at the Pokemon with a smile,"Really, you want to travel with us?"

"Dig," the Pokemon nodded.

So Ash took out one of his Pokeball's and opened it. As the red and white ball closed, there was no flashing to indicate that the Pokemon was fighting capture because the Diglett willingly let itself get caught.

* * *

 **This chapter is 3,014 words long, one of my longest chapter yet. Let's see if I can do better next time.**

 **Thank you for reading and please review!**


	17. Chapter 17: The Safari Zone

**Hey, guys, I have a request or rather 917brat does. Do any of you know the names of these two fanfictions? The first is a Naruto story, where Naruto is Ino's twin, one where he was stolen and has the Yamanaka blood limited of mindreading. The second is a Harry potter/Pokemon story where fem!Harry is James', from team rocket, sister.**

 **If you do know the names of these fanfictions please tell me or PM 917brat. Thank you!**

 **Chapter 17**

Travelling towards the Safari Zone, Ash found himself deep in the emerald forests of nowhere, Now he will admit that he is lost. When he crossed a bridge about twenty feet above the fast running water, the black haired boy confirmed it. Where on Earth was he?

Looking around all he and Pikachu could see were trees, trees and more trees. Not a human or Pokemon in sight, until a round body or purple fur, crossed the boy's path.

It had a pincer-like mouth, stubby forepaws, and a pair of clodhopper feet. "Ven-on-at," it said in a strangely echoed tone.

"Hey, Pikachu, why don't you ask it for directions," Ash suggested nudging his yellow mouse Pokemon.

"Pika Pi," Pikachu nodded and ran over to the insect Pokemon.

The two began to converse in their strange language, making Ash wish he knew he could understand them. Then the round purple Pokemon ran off, Pikachu following behind it.

"Wait up!" Ash shouted, running after the pair.

They ran through the forest, branches swiping at the black haired boy's arms and legs. The crisp green grass crunching lightly under his feet. What light could be seen from the darkening sky was blocked due to the thick trees overhead.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, the Pokemon stopped running, leaving the tired trainer to catch up. Ash's lungs burned with every breath and his legs ached to the point of trembling. However, much to his relief Venonat did not lead the trainer and his Pikachu astray. It leads him to his desired destination, a road that hopefully will lead him to the Safari Zone but if not a town or city would be just as great. At least he would nowhere he was then.

"Wow, thanks, Venonat," Ash said as he patted the insect Pokemon on its head.

"Pika," the electric mouse Pokemon also nodded its thanks.

* * *

"Hey, we're here," Ash told Pikachu who was resting sat on top of the black haired boys backpack with its body leaning against his head.

The two had just entered the Safari Zone. A place to find and capture new and unusual Pokemon. This was a special preserve were rare Pokemon can be found and while the entry price was £500 if Ash managed to capture just one Pokemon here it would all be worth it.

Ash was in the meadow Safari zone district at the moment carrying six safari Pokeballs. However, the challenging part is that trainers are not to initiate Pokemon battles with the wild Pokemon on the reserve. This was the rule. To catch them, the Pokemon must be willing to go with Ash.

The black haired trainer managed to avoid the herd of Tauros that were grazing happily in the meadow that he and Pikachu entered from. These were wild bull Pokemon, covered in light brown fur and a thick dark brown mane. If Ash could capture one of those he hoped they had enough patience to go through with training.

"Pika," the yellow mouse Pokemon shook its head as if reading the black haired boys mind.

"Yeah, you are right," he sighed. This Pokemon is known to be violent and rowdy. Something that he knew he would not be able to handle just yet, as he was still just an eleven-year-old boy.

So walking on, the black haired trainer and his Pikachu ignored the heard, just as the heard ignored him. They strolled across hills of grass, past groups of Oddish and Bellsprout until he came across one of the most amazing sights ever... Okay so maybe the black haired boy was exaggerating a bit. However, seeing a dozen Ponyta and Rapidash grazing in the meadows truly was a sight to behold.

Ponyta was an equine Pokemon with yellow and reddish-orange flames burning at its mane and tail. Its body is mainly cream and had four long legs, each ending in a single, grey hoof. Ash wanted one.

As he walked towards the possibly skittish Pokemon, planning to try and convince one to go with him on his journey to become a Pokemon Master, Ash gasped is horror.

"Charmelon, use flamethrower," a deep male voice said.

Ash ran towards the origin of the voice, shocked by what he saw. An injured Ponyta stood unsteadily on its hooves staring fearfully at the red, reptilian Pokemon. The trainer who ordered the attack had an athletic body, with long arms and legs which were well muscled. He has short brown hair and dark brown eyes. HIs lips were defined and a red and white bandana was tied around his forehead.

"Pikachu, thunder shock," Ash told his Pokemon.

Not needing any further information, the yellow mouse Pokemon sent a blinding bolt of golden thunder toward the red spiral of flames. This caused both attacks to be cancelled out.

"Hey!" Ash shouted at the trainer and his Pokemon. "You are not allowed to battle Pokemon here. What do you think you are doing?"

"You're not the boss of me," sneered the man. "I can do what I want. Now, Charmelon, finish that Ponyta off so I can catch it."

Ash growled low in his throat before stepping between the injured fire horse Pokemon and the evolved form of Charmander. "Fine," Ash said in a calm, cool voice. "As it seems that you don't like following the rules, I think I can break a few rules of my own."

It was within Ash morals to only fight fair, meaning of the opponent had one Pokemon he would only fight with one Pokemon. However, this time, the black haired trainer released all of his Pokemon from their Pokeballs, saying, "Care to fight six on one?"

The brown haired trainer sneered again, making his face twist unattractively. "No, that Ponyta is not worth the trouble," he said and called his Pokemon back.

Ash continued to watch the trainer leave until his body was nothing but a black speck in the distance. Turning around the black haired boy then walked over to the injured Ponyta.

The fire horse Pokemon reared back causing it to collapse to the floor in pain.

"Easy, easy," Ash soothed as he gently rubbed the Pokemon creamy neck.

The black haired boy then took off his bag, saying to the Pokemon, "I have some potions that can help. Stay still."

After a few moments of rummaging through his bag, Ash pulled out a red and white potion bottle with a spray top and began to treat the Pokemon's wounds. First, he cleared them with antiseptic and then he squirted a small amount of the healing liquid onto the affected area. The boy also covered the deeper injuries and gashes with bandages that glowed a brilliant white against its cream coloured body.

"There we go, all better," the black haired boy cheered. "Your herd is close by, you should go find them."

Ponyta stared at the small human in front of her as he returned all of his Pokemon. After what that other trainer did to her, she thought that all of them would be like that. Yet, this human had yet to attack her and had even healed her injuries, sending her back to her family. 'Maybe he was a rare one?' the Ponyta thought. Like a shiny Pokemon whose colourings were different from everyone else.

If this human was rare, then Ponyta may end up stuck with a trainer that forced her capture. She didn't want that. She wanted to choose her owner like her brother did. So, the fire horse Pokemon decided to choose Ash.

The black haired boy still had his back turned to the injured Pokemon when he felt a force collide with his body. Stumbling forwards, the trainer caught himself, turning to face the fire type Pokemon.

"What is it, Ponyta?" the black haired boy asked, However, in answer the silent Pokemon jutted its nose towards the boy. "You want to come with me," Ash smiled widely.

The flaming horse nodded its head wildly and Ash happily held out the Safari Pokeball. Pressing the camouflage coloured Pokeball against Ponyta's head, the black haired boys smile stretching into a grin that spread from ear to ear. He caught a Ponyta, he silently cheered as the Pokeball disappeared to the front office where he can later collect his captured Pokemon.

That wasn't too hard!

* * *

Travelling to the second area of Kanto's Safari zone. This area revolved around the lake, which glistened a beautiful azure blue. There were some woodlands that surrounded the water, full of Pokemon that wanted to stay close to its water source.

It was here Ash released his Pokemon for them to play and enjoy this tranquil area he found.

Gyarados happily bathed itself in the cool water, ignoring Seadra's attempt of trying to get it to play with him. Pikachu curled up beside Ash, taking a short nap before the group continued on. Gastly was playfully chasing Bellsprout and Parasect, who had finally grown used to the ghost types morbid sense of fun.

The group of captured Pokemon did not even realise the frown that marred Ash's face as he saw a group of shadowy creatures hiding in the forest.

The black haired trainer raised himself carefully to his feet, trying not to disturb Pikachu, and approached the trees. As he got closer the unknown Pokemon scattered, causing the boy to shout, "Wait! No, come back."

One of the Pokemon was brave enough to halt in its tracks, willing to listen to the human, if only for a moment. Ash could see its ears perked, listening for his next words.

"This is your lake too," Ash said to it. "We will leave if you want?"

The Pokemon paused and the black haired trainer waited with baited breath. However, to his disappointment the strange Pokemon fled. Its figure vanished into the dark recesses of the woodland.

Sighing, Ash walked back to his spot beside his still sleeping Pikachu. Lying back, the black haired boy closed his eyes, trying to imagine the sun's heat absorbing into his skin and warming him completely.

The crunching of grass caught Ash's attention and he cracked open one of his eyes. Eevee. It was a pack of Eevee's that he saw in the forest. This Pokemon had caramel brown fur, except for the tip of its tail and large furry collar, which was a cream colour. It had four slender legs with three small toes and a pink paw pad on each. These Pokemon were rarely found in the wild, so Ash was surprised that a pack had made their way into the Safari zone.

Ash and the group stay there, on the edge of the lake, until lunch where they began to eat, planning to leave soon after. Instead of pre-brought Pokemon food, Ash had decided to give his Pokemon a mixture of berries and fruit. As the Pokemon munched merrily on their lunch time meal, the small pack of Eevee turned to watch.

The evolution Pokemon stared hungrily at the food. They were perfectly capable of hunting for their own meal, however, berries like that were hard to come by as almost every type of Pokemon enjoyed their taste. Since the Eevee were not the strongest Pokemon, others always managed to get to them first.

"Do you want some?" the human boy suddenly asked causing the Eevee to blink in confusion. They had not noticed the black-haired boy turn his head to look over at them.

"Go on," Ash encouraged. "I have plenty."

The brave Eevee, the one that had stopped in the forest to hear the boy out, was the first to step forward to the large bowl of berries offered. These berries were apple red on the outside with purple flesh.

The brave Eevee bit down into a berry and carried it back to its pack. The first Eevee to taste the berry was the tiniest. It was probably the only female in the group as her body was much smaller than the others and it was the males instinct to see to the needs of the female first.

The second time the brave Eevee went back to the fruit, another one followed him. Then another and another.

Ash smiled at the scene. The pack must have been together for a long time to have such trust and faith in one another. It appeared as if the male Eevees rotated around the female, keeping her as happy and as content as possible.

"Well, it's time to go," Ash announced to his Pokemon.

The Eevee pack watched sorrowfully as the black haired boy returned his Pokemon to their Pokeballs. They did not want the trainer to leave.

Ash thought for a second as he packed the remaining bowls into his backpack. He then turned toward the group of five saying, "If you want, all of you could come with me."

"You could play in Professor Oaks forests and lake areas. Maybe even meet other Eevee's and their evolved forms," the black haired boy said trying to sell the idea. "And if you want you could help me become a Pokemon master someday."

The Eevee's shared a look and muttered a few words between them. Then, once again, the brave one took charge. It walked towards Ash, nodding its head as the pack followed behind.

"Wow, really!" the black haired trainer beamed. "You'll come."

Then Ash allowed for the evolution Pokemon to 'capture themselves' with the last of his Safari Pokeballs, disappearing from his sight.

Grinning like the Cheshire Cat, Ash made his way to the Kanto Safari office. Time to get his Pokemon.

Ash had never been so happy in his entire life. Well, actually, he had been ecstatic when he received Pikachu from Professor Oak, however, this was a close second. He had caught, not only one but five Eevees and a Ponyta. The black haired trainer was thrilled at the possibilities of five different evolved forms of the small normal type Pokemon. If he had a water, thunder or fires stone, he could evolve them into Vaporeon, Jolteon and Flareon. Although, if he couldn't, he could alway evolve them into Espeon, Umbreon, Leafeon, Glaceon and Sylveon depending on the environment that he evolved them in. There were eight possibilities!

* * *

The office was located in the centre of a town with various stalls. It was a cylindrical grey brick building with a heavy oak wooden door. Inside contained two plant pots, filled with green plants that Ash did not know the name of, and a small window. On top of the window was a sign that read, 'Please wait here'.

Since Ash was the first trainer there, only spending just over four hours in the Safari zone, there was no line. He stood before the window and waited.

It was not long before a man with deep purple hair tied back into a ponytail and thin slit black pupils walked over opening the window.

"Hi," Ash greeted. "I am Ash Ketchum, here to pick up my Pokemon."

The man simply grunted his acceptance and moved off to the side. When he returned he carried a tray filled with six camouflage Pokeballs.

"Now," the man finally spoke in a deep, gruff voice. "You have to release each Pokemon from the Safari balls and capture them using your own," he explained.

The black haired boy did as he was told, watching as each of his Pokemon were transported to the grey haired Professor's lab. He then placed the Safari balls back onto the tray and gave them back to the man, who grunted again. Ash guessed the man wasn't much of a talker and shrugged off the strange yet rude behaviour.

Ash leisurely left the Safari zone, promising to come back again in order to catch more Pokemon. It had given the trainer an amazing opportunity to meet and capture Pokemon that he may never find during his travels from city to city, Pokemon Centre to Pokemon Centre.

* * *

As Ash passed forests, he saw Mankey playing in the trees, Vileplum and Victreebel sleeping soundly between long blades of grass. However, what the black haired trainer did not see was the purple furred Venonat in the distance. If he did, then Ash would have recognised it as the insect Pokemon that had directed the black haired boy and his Pikachu to the road that leads to the Safari Zone.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading and I would like to point out that theQmaster said that I made an error in the previous chapters. This error was that I have written on of the attacks as Fury Swipes instead of Fiery swipes. I will try to amend this error but due to a past fault in my computer, I have no access to my original files on Chapters 1 to 6. Therefore, I will not be able to change any errors from those chapters.**


	18. Chapter 18: Bicycle Bang

**Hey, guys, I had a comment from AyumuMatsuoXIII who has requested a list of all of Ash's Pokemon so far. Here it is in the rough order of capture:**

 **1) Pikachu - Electric**

 **2) Pidgeotto - Flying/Normal**

 **3) Raticate - Normal**

 **4) Mankey - Fighting**

 **5) Oddish - Poison/Grass**

 **6) Butterfree - Bug**

 **7) Rhyhorn - Ground/Rock**

 **8) Golbat - Poison/Flying**

 **9) Poliwag - Water**

 **10) Shiny Gyarados - Water**

 **11) Bulbasaur - Grass/Poison**

 **12) Charmander - Fire**

 **13) Squirtle - Water**

 **14) Seadra - Water**

 **15) Bellsprout - Grass/Poison**

 **16) Gastly - Ghost/Poison**

 **17) Parasect - Bug/Grass**

 **18) Nidoran - Poison**

 **19) Muk - Poison**

 **20) Magnemite - Electric/Steel**

 **21) Diglett - Ground**

 **22) Ponyta - Fire**

 **23) Female Eevee - Normal**

 **24) Brave Eevee - Normal**

 **25) Male Eevee - Normal**

 **26) Male Eevee - Normal**

 **27) Male Eevee - Normal**

 **Also, a review from** DragonEmperor999, **asked where was Dratini who some people were hoping to be caught during the Safari Zone chapter. I would like to say that yes, Ash will catch a Drantini, however, I am planning to have him come across one in a different way.**

 **Finally, as for my fanfiction searching request, I will notify anyone who asks, when I find out the names of them. So far that is: beulah2013**

* * *

 **Chapter 18**

With memories of the Safari Zone fresh on Ash and Pikachu's mind, the pair continued on the road wondering what was going to happen next. It was a short walk from the Fuchsia City Safari Zone to the actual City itself.

The City, just like all the others that Ash had seen on his journey, had tall buildings that stretched towards the sky. There was a partially constructed bridge that was about ten miles long, or at least that was what the black haired boy had been told. Once complete, it would allow cars and cyclists to take a shortcut to Sunny Town. Ash hoped that it would be ready by next year, as the boy hoped to be able to save enough money to purchase or borrow a bike and make it across, which would reduce his journey time between Pokemon gyms.

The Pokemon Centre was a rectangular yellow building with a crimson red roof, surrounded by green grass and bristling bushes. Four windows and a double glass door could be seen from the front of the building, which also had a massive pink 'P' standing proudly on the buildings face.

While resting on the sofas in the Centre in front of the fire, Ash and Pikachu were approached by Nurse Joy, She had asked the black haired boy and his Pokemon to help her deliver medicine to a sick Pokemon in Sunny Town and in return she would lend them one of the bicycles that the Pokemon Centre had in stock in order for them to cross the bridge. The trainer quickly agreed, happy to help the people whose sisters and cousins had healed his Pokemon since he began his journey.

Besides he had already trained his Pokemon today, having each of his Pokemon battle with at least one opponent. Resulting in all of them growing stronger and more confident in themselves.

* * *

Riding across the bridge, with Pikachu on his head, was a peaceful feeling. With nothing but the wind whipping past you and the scenery zipping by. Other cyclists cruised lazily across, enjoying the long, smooth slip of road that had recently been laid.

Ash stopped at a layby a little while later, pausing shortly for a drink of water from his flask. The clear blue sky could be seen for miles around them and the deep blue water sat still, relishing in the warm sunny weather. A metal rail that was painted white was the only thing stopping Ash from falling to his death.

As the black haired boy straddled his borrowed bike, he heard laughter and cheering in the distance. The sound grew closer and closer until a group of ten people began to circle him on their bicycles. Riding around and around until eventually coming to a stop. It was a gang.

"I don't think I've seen you before," a man said with a thick, gruff accent that Ash could not place. His gravity defying red hair had an electric yellow streak in it. Wearing a black leather jacket with silver spikes on each shoulder, it was clear this man was the leader. The one who called the shots.

"I am not from around here," Ash said. "I am just passing through."

"Well," the leader said confidently. "You are not going to be able to leave until you have had a proper introduction."

The black haired trainer lifted an eyebrow, wondering what sort of introduction the harsh leader wanted. Surely, "Hi, I am Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town and this is Pikachu," would not be what they meant.

Then a girl with moss green hair, falling to her elbow, stepped off her bike. Like the leader's she wore a leather jacket, but without the spikes, and tight leather shorts. If Ash had to guess, she was the second in command.

"What we mean by introduction is a Pokemon battle," the second in command specified.

"A Pokemon battle," Ash muttered. This would be a great way for his Pokemon to gain more experience with different trainers fighting styles. "Okay," Ash agreed.

The bicycle gang then began to back away, creating enough space between the black haired boy so that there was enough room for the battle to take place. The rules were simple, Pokemon must fight one on one, but trainers can switch out their Pokemon any time they want.

The leader was the first to release his Pokemon shouting, "Golem, go!"

This Pokemon had a turtle-like body with plated, green rocks as its shell. Its head was protruding out of the centre of the shell. It had short arms that have three claws, and two legs with five-clawed feet with four claws in the front and one in the back. It had red eyes and a flat snout with two pointed teeth in its lower jaw.

Golem was a rock and ground type Pokemon, meaning that it was weak against fighting, steel, water, grass and ice type Pokemon. Ash had Gyarados, Seadra, Bellsprout and Parasect with one of these attributes. Out of this list, the black haired boy chose Bellsprout, wanting the flower Pokemon to gain more experience in its newest move, razor leaf.

The black haired trainer quickly called for Bellsprout to use vine whip. However, as the lush green vines slashed at Golem, the rock type Pokemon retracted back into its shell. The attack did not affect their enemy.

"Your Pokemon needs more practice," boasted the red haired leader. "That wimpy attack will not get through my Pokemon's shell."

Ash ignored the man, only listening when he ordered his rock type Pokemon to use tackle.

"Wait for the right moment and jump over him," Ash said, hoping that Golems body was too heavy to enable the Pokemon to change direction too quickly and immediate tackle Bellsprout straight after his Pokemon dodges.

Bellsprout stood there recalling the mock battle in which Ash had asked it to do something similar when Pikachu had tried to tackle it. However, Pikachu was much smaller. She watched and watched feeling as if the Pokemon was approaching her in show motion. Then she leapt gracefully over as if she was a gymnast and Golem, the trapezium.

"Bell!" the Pokemon cheered.

"Now, razor leaf," Ash ordered.

The flower Pokemon sent its little green leaf knives hurtling towards the rock type Pokemon's back causing it to unravel from its tackling roll attack.

"Go, Golem, rock throw," the leader ordered.

The large Pokemon jumped into the air allowing itself to be pulled back down by gravity. This attack left a rather large crater in the ground as Bellsprout instantly got out of the way. Ash hoped the builders would not be too upset about the damage.

"Bellsprout, use razor leaf and then poison powder."

While the rock type Pokemon was no longer tucked safely into its shell, this gave Ash a perfect opportunity to aim for its weak sports such as its arms, legs and head, which were not covered in stone.

The razor leaf scratched up its body, but the poison powder that spewed from the flower Pokemon's mouth was what truly defeated Golem.

"Golem, return!" the leader said with clenched teeth.

Then the female, second in command, stepped forward. "Now it is my turn to show you," she said. "I choose you, Cloyster!"

Cloyster is a black, pearl-like Pokemon encased inside a light grey shell, which is surrounded by a second jagged, blue-violet outer shell. It has one barb-like spike protruding from above its head and multiple conical horns.

Since Cloyster is a water and ice type Pokemon, it was weak against grass types. So, Ash could keep Bellsprout in the battle as his Pokemon had the type advantage. However, the flower Pokemon was tired and will struggle to get past that tough shell. Therefore, the black haired boy chose Pikachu, his electric mouse Pokemon, which water types were also weak against.

So, after recalling Bellsprout and calling out his yellow mouse Pokemon. Pikachu stood, facing the large bivalve Pokemon.

"Cloyster, clamp it with your shell," the female ordered.

The Pokemon slowly opened its shell, but Ash said nothing. Pikachu had learned that when its trainer did this it usually meant that he should hold his ground, despite how ominously the enemy Pokemon loomed over him.

As its shell closed over Pikachu's tail, the yellow mouse Pokemon winced in pain but was not willing to cry out and show weakness in front of the bicycle gang.

"Good, Pikachu," Ash said proudly. "Use thunder while it's still got a hold of you."

The second in command gasped as she realised the vulnerable situation she had put her Pokemon in. However, before she could shout to Cloyster to release Pikachu, the water type Pokemon groaned in pain as it fell to its side, liberating Pikachu from its grasp.

Suddenly, sirens echoed around the group, catching everyone's attention. As the female returned her Cloyster to its Pokeball, the male leader shouted, "Come on, guys. It's time to rumble."

Ash frowned as the odd word and watched them as they rode off into the distance.

Officer Jenny soon pulled over beside Ash and Pikachu saying, "Hey who's causing all this trouble?"

Ash mutely pointed towards the group of fleeing gang members and, without another word, Jenny rode after them on her much fast motorcycle. The black haired boy then continued on his way to Sunny Town, picking up the pace as he went. After all, there was a sick Pokemon that desperately needed the medicine that he was tasked with delivering.

As the black haired boy rode, the clouds became darker, turning from their once pearly white to ash grey and then to coal black. The wind that had just hours ago lightly whipped past him, now sliced through his clothes forcing Pikachu to hold onto his owners back with a vice-like grip. The calm water rose up from the surface smashing violently against the bridges pillars that anchored it to the seabed below.

"Hold on, Pikachu," Ash said as he increased his pedalling in a desperate attempt to get out of the coming storm quickly.

Rain fell like sharp needles, digging into the black haired boy's skin. He was soaked in a matter of moments, feeling the cold, icy water seep towards his bones.

Finally, the black haired boy arrived in Sunny Town only to find Nurse Joy standing worriedly outside the Pokemon Centre doors. Ash and Pikachu may have been dripping wet and shivering from the cold, but they never gave up or stopped for a break.

"Oh, thank God," Nurse Joy shouted as Ash handed her the white paper prescription bag. "I did not know if you would make it through the storm. It's thanks to you that this Pokemon will get better."

The pink haired Nurse then poured the contents of the bag into a medium sized fish tank. Inside the tank was a small black pearl-like Pokemon Shellder. It was the pre-evolved for of the water Pokemon Cloyster that he and Pikachu had battled on the bridge. However, this one had none of the energy of its evolved form.

No, this Shellder slept at the bottom of the tank with its tongue sticking out. It did not even move when the strange medical powder covered it in a cloud of white smoke.

Once the medicine was completely absorbed into the water types body, it jumped to life. Wriggling around excitedly, the black haired boy had made it just on time, any longer and Shellder would have died.

* * *

After resting in Sunny Town Pokemon Centre, before setting out on his next journey, Ash decided to exchange his Pokemon. He believed that the Pokemon he had with him now were ready for the gym battles that he will face in the future. So, now it was time ti move on. Selecting Gyarados, Seadra, Bellsprout, Gastly and Parasect, Ash switched them with Nidoran, Muk, Magnemite, Diglett and one of his Eevees.

He then took out his Pokedex and scanned each of them:

 **"Nidoran, the poison pin Pokemon. Stiffens its ears to sense danger. The larger its horns, the more powerful the Pokemon's secreted venom is. This Nidoran is female and knows the moves poison sting, horn attack and double kick.**

 **Muk, the sludge Pokemon. Thickly covered with vile sludge. It is so toxic, even its footprints contain poison. This Muk is male and knows the moves poison gas, mud slap and sludge.**

 **Magnemite, the magnet Pokemon. Uses anti-gravity to stay suspended. Appears without warning and uses thunder wave and similar moves. This Magnemite is genderless and knows the moves thunder shock, sonic boom and thunder wave.**

 **Diglett, the mole Pokemon. Lives about one yard underground where it feeds on plant roots. It sometimes appears above ground. This Diglett is male and knows the move dig.**

 **Eevee, the evolution Pokemon. Its genetic code is irregular. It may mutate if it is exposed ti radiation from element stones. This Eevee is female and knows the moves growl, tackle and quick attack."**

So the first Eevee Ash would train is the only female of the pack. He hoped that she wasn't as shy as before when he had met her in the Safari Zone. He would also have to ask the small Pokemon about what type of evolutionary form it would like to evolve into, that's if she wanted to evolve. However, that would not be done until later.

Ash now had three Teams trained to battling standard and was in no rush to completely train his fourth. With twenty-seven Pokemon in his arsenal , the black haired boy could not stop thinking about increasing his number. After all, Gary has probably caught one hundred by now. The trainer could not help but desire more and more friends. He wanted to catch them, teach them and befriend them, but he also wanted them to teach him.

The pair continued their journey when they were confident that the sun was not planning on disappearing anytime soon. Now dry, the black haired boy's clothes provided him with the warmth he was lacking the day before.

The forest that Ash and Pikachu were walking through seemed to wrap around them never giving the boy more than a quick glimpse of what could be seen beyond the thick large trees. He was beginning to hate the forests and Pikachu does not seem very fond of them either.

Soon the forest bled away, giving the black haired boy a view of a quaint little village. However, he soon found out it was far more than quaint. The place was bare with no food in the markets and no ingredients in the restaurants. How did these places make money if there was no food to sell?

When Ash approached one of the townspeople about this, an elderly man with a grey moustache and equally grey hair told him their story. Apparently, the lake had dried up some time ago, leaving them with limited water and supplies, which then resulted in many of the crops dying. However, there could be no natural cause for this. There had been no draughts and plenty of rain, just like it has always been.

The man leads the boy and his Pokemon to the dried out river, where only small vein-like lines appear. It was almost as if something was blocking the water. This was a serious problem, with no water there will be no crops and the people will be forced to move on or die.

So, when the man left Ash decided to follow the dried out river upstream. Maybe he could find the problem. Hopefully, he will be able to help these people.

The first thing that was found blocking the water was a large cluster of thorn riddled vines.

"Nidoran, use poison sting on the vines," Ash ordered and watch as the attack quickly tore at the blockage. However, the water had yet to fill the river bank. So, the black haired trainer concluded that there was something further ahead, block the townspeople's water.

Walking further and further away from the village, Ash soon heard the soft snores of someone or something sleeping in the forest. The strange thing was that the more Ash followed the empty bank, the louder the snoring became until eventually the blockage was revealed.

"Oh no," the black haired boy groaned. "A Snorlax."

These Pokemon were notorious for being very difficult to wake up as they do this only to eat before going back to sleep. It was a huge Pokemon with blue-green skin and a cream coloured face, belly and feet. Its head is large with small pointed ears and two sharp teeth protruding from its lower jaw.

Ash sighed, he would need to catch it in order to move it from the water source.

"Pikachu, Magnemite," the trainer called. "Use thundershock on Snorlax."

Moments later Ash walked away from the now flowing river and with another Pokemon waiting to be trained at Professor Oak's lab, bring his number up to twenty-eight Pokemon. At least Snorlax's bog body allows for it to use moves such as body slam very effectively and has abilities such as sleeptalk.

Ash then found a clear area in which he could start training his Pokemon. He had everyone run for an hour, before encouraging them to do press ups and rock lifting. After the session was over, the black haired boy sat down next to Eevee.

"Hey, girl," he says stroking he fondly. "Since Eevees' can evolve into may different forms, I wanted to know if you had a certain preference." The boy then pulled a book out from his bag showing the evolution Pokemon which forms it could take.

Eevee considered the boy for a moment, shocked that she would be asked for her opinion first. However, she was quickly learning that her trainer was unlike any of the others. He was kind, caring and attentive. Then, with determination, she turned to look at all of her possible forms.

One looked very appealing to her. She would be the most beautiful Eevee there was if her trainer could evolve her. This form had slender legs and dainty paws. It is covered in fine, lilac fur with large ears and purple eyes with white pupils.

So, happily, Eevee placed her paw on the picture, looking longingly up at Ash.

"Espeon," Ash smiled. "Okay, but to evolve into that form I will have to restrict you to your Pokeball during the night. You will have to level up during the day."

"Eevee," the Pokemon nodded enthusiastically.


	19. Chapter 19: Pokemon Fear

**Hey, guys, my lunch date cancelled on me so you get another chapter! I would also like to share with you some of the quotes that I saved on my Kindle.**

 **"Yeah, she hadn't called home much, but surely her mother would have mentioned the fact that she's murdered Dad and placed him in a freezer. However, Dad - if he'd offed Mum - wouldn't say a word. He never spoke much." - Now and Then by Brenda Rothert.**

* * *

 **Chapter 19**

"Dark City," Ash muttered as he crooked his neck at the same angle the sign had fallen to. Due to a lack of maintenance on the wooden archway of the city, it was no wonder the entire thing did not collapse before the boy and his Pikachu because of rot.

The City itself was filled with wooden Japanese style houses with white painted walls. The roads and pathways had broken pieces of wood scattered across the ground. In truth, it looked like everyone had just packed up and left. There were no stalls, bakeries, or children in the playground. What a depressing sight it was. The place was a ghost town.

Suddenly, giggling could be heard as a young child laughed with joy at being able to escape the confines of his home.

"What are you doing?" the mother hissed as she grabbed the boy in her arms. "Get back inside. What if there are Pokemon trainers out?"

Ash frowned at what the woman said as she herded her child back inside. Looking down at his yellow mouse Pokemon, he hoped it could confirm what he had just heard as true.

Are these people hiding from trainers as if they were demons stalking the earth in search for them? Why would they feel the cause to do such a thing? Were they overreacting or was their behaviour due to negative experiences in their past?

Answering the black haired boy's question, stones flew through the air, hurling towards them threateningly. Their sharp edges scratched and nicked Ash and Pikachu's skin, causing a fiery red mark to appear.

"Hey, you," Ash shouted at the dark figures on the roof who had been tossing the stones, His shouting scarred the small shadows causing them to tumble from the roof, landing on a pile of strategically placed hay.

"Who do you think you are?" the boy haired boy exclaimed jumping to his feet. "If you work with Pokemon then you better get out of our town now!"

A tick grew on Ash's forehead as he stared at the three boys in front of him, his fists clenched angrily. Beside the blue haired boy was a boy that equalled his friend in height with light brown hair and black eyes. The last boy hair black hair and chocolate brown eyes, both staring at him with a mixture of fear and anger. "Why? What is wrong with Pokemon?"

The blue haired boy was about to respond when a man, about twice the kid's size, said, "Stop it, boys." He then turned to Ash giving the trainer a view of his withered and worn face. He looked like he had aged ten years in a matter of days with skin as pale as moonshine and dark bruises under his eyes. His chestnut brown hair was thin and wiry.

"These children do not mean to cause you any trouble," the man said. Then in an almost pleading voice, he continued, "Come to my restaurant and I will explain everything."

Ash agreed slightly perplexed by the man and everyone else in the city. However, if this gives him answers then he could sit down on a cold, hard wooden bench for a while.

The restaurant turned out to have the exact same appearance as the Japanese style houses. In fact, if it wasn't for the wooden sign with a knife and fork painted on to it, Ash would not have been able to tell the difference. Inside, however, was painted a cauliflower blue with dark wooden everything. From tables to chairs and the staircase to skirting boards.

"Dark City had two gyms," the man started as he placed a glass of ice cold water in front of the black haired trainer and Pikachu. "The Yas gym and the Kas gym. The two gyms are in the middle of a gang was and will hire any wondering Pokemon trainer as soldiers."

"I get it," Ash said glumly. "But why are they fighting like this?"

"They claim that whichever gym wins ill become an official Pokemon gym," sighed the man.

Ash snorted quietly to himself. The black haired boy did not know how the official gyms were selected. However, he definitely knew that battling another gym was not one of them.

It was then Ash got to witness a fight between the two gyms through the window of the restaurant's second floor. The two groups deep rumbling voices and stomping feet drew Ash to them as the fought.

The Yas gym membered wore black skintight suits, green overalls and a bright orange neck scarf, whereas the Kaz gym wore blue skin tight suits and red capes. The leaders were both middle-aged men, one with thick black hair and the other with thick brown hair. To Ash, the were fighting like two-year-olds over a shiny new toy.

The man in the blue called out his Electabuzz, commanding it to attack the people in black and green. In the process, the electric type Pokemon damaged some of the houses around them.

The leader of the Yas gym the called out his Scyther, asking it to use fury cutter. This led to a building completely collapsing under the attack.

What were these gym leaders doing? Did they not care about the damaged and paranoia they were creating? It was horrifying for the black haired trainer to watch. No wonder everyone around here hated Pokemon trainers.

It was then that Ash decided to get tot he bottom of this the old fashioned way. So, he made his way to the Yas gym, under the guise of being a new trainer interested in joining. A blue haired woman then delivered him straight to the leader, where she introduced Ash as a strong train. The leader's responses were to say, "I will decide how strong he is."

The black haired boy tensed and quickly released Muk from it's Pokeball as the Yas leader said, "Scyther, attack!"

Muk emerged in white light and Ash rapidly orders for Muk to use mud slap.

This cause Scyther's eyes to be covered in a thick layer of brown mud, blinding the Pokemon. The grass type Pokemon panicked as it could no longer rely on its eyesight. It attacked anyone and everyone, including its owner, who recalled his Pokemon back into it's Pokeball just as Ash returned Muk.

"Scyther has never been frightened so badly," the man said dramatically. "You are a powerful trainer. You must work for me."

"First," Ash said still playing his part. "I would like to ask you why it is so important that this gym should become an official Pokemon gym?"

The man grinned confidently, saying, " That should be obvious. What faster way is that to make money nowadays."

Bowing his head to hide the frustration that that black haired boy felt over the explanation, his cap shaded his eyes from view. Then he said in a grim tone, "If that is your reason then I won't accept your job offer. Pokemon is not just tools to use for fighting or a way of making money." Then Ash shouted more passionately, "And I know because I am going to become a Pokemon Master. I won't help you!"

Turning his back on the leader, Pikachu jumped on his shoulder and the pair began to walk towards the door. Ash didn't notice the sound of shuffling feet as members of the Yas gym moved to hid. They had been eavesdropping on the other side of the doors that the black haired trainer was about to exit from and needed to find a new vantage point.

"If you won't join us, we'll make sure you don't help anyone else," the Yas leader shouted angry at being refused. "Everyone attack!"

Upon hearing the command the Yas gym members if the doors and windows open, throwing their Pokeballs at the black haired boy. The Pokemon that appeared were all fighting types: Primeape, Machamp, Hitmolee and Hitmonchan. The four Pokemon surrounded the boy, laughing as they raised their fists.

"Pikachu," Ash said not needing to complete his command.

The yellow mouse Pokemon sparked its cheeks threateningly before leaping off Ash's shoulder and curling itself into a ball in the air. A powerful bolt of thunder flew towards each of the Pokemon, which fell to the ground in pain. Ash and Pikachu took this chance to run for it, fleeing back to the restaurant.

Once at the restaurant, Ash began to do his research, leafing through books and referring to his Pokedex. Apparently, Scyther, the Yas Pokemon and Electabuzz, the Kas Pokemon, both become enraged by the colour red. This was something that the boy could use to stop this gang war once and for all. It was time to get even and save this town.

Barrels were filled with red liquid and placed on top of the restaurant's roof just as Yas and Kas met at their 'battle' grounds. With nine people on one side and nine on the other, they were evenly matched and could cause a large amount of destruction is they were not careful.

The two gym leaders first began to talk to each other, winding each other up so tight that they eventually will blow up. And that is precisely what happened.

"Electabuzz, go!" the Kas leader shouted.

"Get them, Scyther!" the Yas leader said.

When the two Pokemon emerged from their Pokeballs, the last piece of Ash's plan was put in place. The rest of the two gym's Team members also set loose their Pokemon, following their leader's0 example.

"It;s time, let's do it," Ash said and began pushing the large wooden barrels. On his left were the three boys who had thrown stones at him, on his right was the withered restaurant owner.

The barrels tumbled off the roof, landing on a quickly constructed wooden rack.

The force of the landing caused their lids to burst open drenching the Yas and Kas leaders in blood red liquid. What happened next was not what Ash had predicted, but it worked all the same.

The leader's Pokemon stopped battling each other and stared angrily at the men in front of them. Their emotions were our into overdrive causing the Pokemon to feel nothing but rage. Each of their eyes glowing red ad they prepared to attack their owners.

Suddenly, they leapt, ripping at clothing and punching at the men's bodies. The Kas gym leader was forced to withstand Electabuzz's thunder attack, while the Yas gym leader had to avoid Scyther's sharp, deadly claws.

After Ash believed the two trainers had had enough he threw a bucket of red liquid over Electabuzz and Scyther, who then once again turned their anger onto each other. It took only moments for them to knock the other out, both crashing to the floor at the same time.

"Electabuzz!" the Kas gym leader shouted.

"Scyther!" the Yas gym leader exclaimed.

"I hope you learned your lesson," Ash shouted from the top of the roof.

Underneath the black haired boy on the ground was a purple-furred Venonat, that a turned red due to being caught in the boy's plan. The Pokemon puffed up its cheeks in frustration, how had the trainer gotten to the roof? Why, when it just arrived at the place, been targeted by the red liquid that caused the Electabuzz and Scyther to attack each other? The Venonat could not say, however, it had to admit it was more difficult that it originally thought to keep an eye on the trainer and his Pikachu.

Leaving Dark City, Ash ensured that the two gym groups began to rebuild what they had destroyed as punishment for their misdeeds. The three boys waved the black haired trainer and Pikachu off, promising that one day they are going to become great Pokemon trainers. Now Dark City was a lot brighter.

* * *

On his journey, Ash travelled many places and was now arriving at the Mossgreen Village. It was a small quaint place that didn't have a Pokemon gym. However, it was a great place to rest and restock on supplies.

When Ash arrived at the potion store, he was shocked by the dark and dingy place. It looked more like a dungon filled with plants and herbs than a shop. Inside, he met a woman with light orange eyes and deep green hair, which she wore in two buns on either side of her head.

"Hello," Ash said. "I would like to restock on my potions for my Pokemon."

"Sure, no problem," the young woman said. Then he eyes lite up as she finally got to look at the boy and his Pikachu. "You're a Pokemon trainer aren't you," she stated rather than asked.

"Er, yeah, why?" the black haired boy said as he scratched the back of his head.

"Then I challenge you to a Pokemon battle," she said pointing at him.

The boy raised his eyebrow in surprise not expecting the healer and potion maker, Cassandra as her name tag said, to request such as thing.

"Okay, Cassandra, I accept your challenge," Ash said thrilled for the opportunity to let his Pokemon again more battle experience.

Outside, Ash stood a distance away from the young woman and her Paras. This Pokemon is an orange, insectoid. Its ovoid body is segmented, and it has three pairs of legs. The foremost pair of legs is the largest and has sharp claws at the tips.

Paras was weak against poison Pokemon, so Ash would have the advantage if he chose either Nidoran or Muk. However, as the black haired trainer watched his Pikachu approach the mushroom Pokemon, it shrunk away.

"It looks like Paras doesn't want to battle," Ash stated as he watched the Pokemon now tremble behind the woman's legs.

"I am expecting Paras to evolve into Parasect soon, but it is too cowardly to battle," she told the black-haired boy as she strokes her Pokemon.

"But why do you want to make it evolve so much then?" he questioned.

"Because I have to have Parasects mushroom," she stated. Then looking down at her Pokemon she continued, "You see after Paras evolved I can use its mushrooms to make a new potion, especially for Pokemon. I will help Pokemon all over the world.

"Don't you think forcing it to fight is a bit harsh though? I mean, I am sure that there are other ways that you can evolve them, it just won't come as quick as when you are battling with it," Ash told the green haired, orange eyed woman.

"I suppose you are right," she sighed. "But what should I do?"

Paras looked at its trainer, the sadness in her eyes made it feel more guilt than it could handle. It was weak, even it knew that. There was no way it could beat the black haired trainers Pokemon, but it would try. It would try to be brave and evolve. For her.

"Para, pa," the Pokemon said aggressively as it stepped out from behind its trainer and onto the temporary battlefield.

"What is it, Paras?" Cassandra asked her Pokemon, confused by its sudden behaviour.

"I think it has decided to fight," Ash told her. "And I have the perfect Pokemon."

After Ash said this he released Diglett from its Pokeball. As it only knew one move, the ground type Pokemon would be a fairly easy target and Ash hoped that the mole Pokemon will gain some much-needed experience from this battle.

As Ash and the green haired woman ordered each Pokemon to attack, the battle was very pathetic to watch. It was almost as if Paras was playing whack-a-mole, just like the construction worker had, but instead of using as hammer the mushroom Pokemon used its sharp claws.

It wasn't until Diglett dove underground and began constructing various tunnels under Paras, that the battle got exciting. Although, no one knew what it was doing until they heard the distinctive crack of the ground giving way and the mushroom Pokemon's exclamation. It was then engulfed in a white evolutionary light which dimmed to reveal Parasect.

The black haired trainer congratulated Cassandra, who in turn give Ash his potions free of charge as a thank you for his help. However, when Ash tried to refuse the offer, the woman would not take no for an answer, whacking the boy on the back of his head until he accepted.

Who knew women we so feisty?

* * *

 **Vola! What do you think of this chapter?**


	20. Chapter 20: Come back, you thieves!

**There's another quote:**

 **"A bitch is a bitch. I think that's inscribed in hieroglyphics on a pyramid somewhere. And hotness does not make up for it." - Mended Hearts by Mandie Tepe.**

* * *

 **Chapter 20**

As the sky begins to darken, flashes of golden light lit the black haired boys surrounding as another mock battle took place.

"Magnemite, use your sonic boom attack," Ash ordered.

The magnet Pokemon swiped its left horseshoe magnet horizontally sending a wave of blue and white power towards the recently surfaced Diglett, and then repeated the action with its right horseshoe magnet.

This was the third time that these two have battled one another. The black haired trainer had hoped that with Diglett having and immunity to electric type attacks, it would put the mole Pokemon as a slight advantage. However, this did not stop the electric and steel type Pokemon from winning every time.

Ash was hoping that Diglett would soon learn some new moves so that it could strike its opponents with a more damaging attack.

Again Ash watched as his Diglett did not dodge the sonic boom attack in time, resulting in the ground type Pokemon to be knocked unconscious. The black haired trainer did not understand why the Pokemon was the only one to not show improvement through the training. Magnemite had learned the steel type move magnet bomb, Nidoran was close to evolving into Nidorina and Eevee was training every day as soon as the sun came up, so with a number of hours she punched in, it was no surprised that she had learned swift and double edge.

"It's okay, Diglett," Ash whispered to the Pokeball in his hand. "We'll get him next time."

In the forest Ash and Pikachu were travelling through, the black haired boy spotted a pink balloon Pokemon with pointed ears and blue eyes. On top of its head is a curled tuft of fur. It was a Jigglypuff.

It stood on top of a tree stub where a large oak trunk had recently been cut down. It turned to face the boy and his Pokemon.

Ash was thanking whoever was out there for his good fortune. If he captured this Jigglypuff then he would have a fairy type Pokemon that was immune to ghost and dragon type moves and resistant to bug and dark type moves.

"Nidoran, I choose you," the boy shouted, calling out his poison type Pokemon. It was one of two types that Jigglypuff was weak against.

"Use horn attack," he ordered.

Jigglypuff made no move as the poison pin Pokemon charged towards it with its head bent, showing off its pinkish purple horn.

The attack dealt a direct hit to the pink Pokemon causing it to fly back into a hard tree. Tears began to form in the Pokemon's eyes.

"I am sorry," Ash told the Pokemon. "But once I've caught you I will make sure you get better."

After the black haired boy said that he told Nidoran to use its poison sting attack. Purple needles hurtled towards Jigglypuff, yet the Pokemon still did not attack, instead it fell to the ground, unable to persevere through the poison Pokemon's attacks.

"Go, Pokeball," Ash shouted as he threw the red and white ball.

Moments later Ash had caught the pink balloon-like Pokemon and Nidoran began to glow. In its place stood Nidorina, which had several dark blue spots on its body and large, spiny ears with teal insides. The horn on her head is harder than diamond.

Scanning the Pokemon, Dexter said, " **Nidorina, the poison pin Pokemon and the evolved for of Nidoran. Its horn contains venom, If they are stabbed into an enemy, the impact makes poison leak out. Nidorino is a female Pokemon. This Nidorino knows the moves poison sting, horn attack, double kick and fury attack."**

"Great job," Ash told his newly evolved Pokemon as he returned it to its Pokeball.

The next morning found a small purple insect Pokemon hovering over a sleeping Ash and Pikachu. It glared frustratedly at the pair, who had not noticed Venonat following them throughout their journey since the Safari Zone. What is worse is that the black haired boy never stays in one place too long, which had caused it to lose the boy and his Pokemon on more than one occasion.

So, determined to stay with the black haired boy who will be able to evolve it, just like he had with many of his other Pokemon, Venonat peeled back the boy's denim jacket and plucked the empty Pokeball from Ash's belt. It then set the Pokeball on the ground in front of it and pushed the white button.

Venonat cheered quietly as it was sucked into the ball and teleported to Professor Oaks lab in Pallet Town. Now Ash was its trainer and he would not be forced into stalking the black haired boy anymore in order to keep an eye on him.

When the black-haired trainer and yellow mouse Pokemon woke none of them knew what had happened during the night or that they had yet another new Pokemon to train.

Early in the morning the next day, Ash and Pikachu found themselves in the beautiful Granpa Canyon. With the sun blazing heavily down on them, a wave of heat could be seen rising from the ground and rocks around them. Strangely enough, the pair came across a large amount of people carrying pick axes, shovels and backpacks filled to the brim as they trek towards their destination.

What is everybody doing with those picks and shovels?

"Ash," came a disturbingly familiar voice. It was Gary. He stood behind the black haired boy wearing a large brimmed Hogg of Fife Indiana hat, with a pick axe in his left hand, resting the wooden stem on his left shoulder.

The black haired trainer knew the Vindictive body would try to get back to him for his words when they last met. Therefore, Ash could predict the tongue lashing Gary was about to give him.

"Not only late but clueless too," Gary grinned in triumph at knowing something that Ash did not. "Surely you have heard of the great fossil rush?"

Ash tilted his head, he _had_ heard of it. Every year or so there is a large scale digging event for fossilised Pokemon.

Ash's attention quickly turned from Gary to the six cheerleaders, wearing small pink skirts and tight pink tops.

"Gary, Gary, he's our man. If he can't find them no one can," the girls cheered and it was in that moment that Ash decided he wanted nothing to do with this.

"Thank you! Thank you!" Gary shouted as the black haired boy rolled his eyes beside him. "Now, I better move and find those fossils quick before anyone else does."

With that, the brown haired grandson of Professor Oak ran off toward the digging location. Ash walking in the opposite direction, avoiding anything that Gary was near.

He walked deep into the Canyon, hoping to find a place to stop and train his Pokemon. Ash soon found somewhere that was large enough for battles and enclosed so that the battle could not be seen by anyone.

"Diglett, Pikachu, it's time to battle," Ash ordered his Pokemon.

"This time, Pikachu, you will be on your own against Diglett and me."

"Pika," the yellow mouse Pokemon nodded and ran a distance away.

"Diglett, use dig like you did with Paras," Ash said.

As the mole Pokemon went underground and quickly followed the black haired boy's ordered, Pikachu disappeared from its spot, jumping on top of a large sand coloured rock. So, when the floor caved in and no Pikachu was sucked into the ground a confused Diglett emerged.

"Pika," shouted the yellow mouse Pokemon as it hit the unsuspecting ground type with its quick attack.

Diglett was sick of losing battle after battle, no matter how encouraging Ash tried to be. It wanted to get stronger and be able to compete with some of the best Pokemon out there. It's annoyance built and built until its body began to tremble sending small bursts of energy into the ground calling for something.

Pikachu paused feeling a pulsing below its small paws. The yellow mouse Pokemon knew it was coming from the small ground type Pokemon, but how? Why? Neither Ash nor Pikachu had seen anything like this before.

Then Pikachu's ears twitched picking the soft sound of 'Diglett, Dig, Diglett, Dig'.

Suddenly, two more Diglett burst from the ground on either side of Ash's mole Pokemon, all three starting to glow a brilliant white. These Diglett wanted to be stronger, needed to be stronger and knew that the only why to do that was to evolve.

The three Diglett's evolved into one Dugtrio after merging their bodies together. This Pokemon was a set of triplets sharing a single body. Each head has brown skin, black eyes, and a large, round, pink nose.

When Ash scanned it the Pokedex said, **"Dugtrio, the mole Pokemon. A team of triplets. It triggers huge earthquakes by burrowing sixty miles underground. This Dugtrio is male and knows the moves dig, sand attack and tri attack."**

Ash and Pikachu cheered happily finally relieved that the Pokemon had improved. Dugtrio seemed just as pleased wriggling and dancing in its joy.

"You did brilliantly, Dugtrio," Ash told the Pokemon. "Return."

He then pulled out another Pokeball and said, "Eevee, come on out." The bushy brown and cream coloured Pokemon was released from its Pokeball. "We are going to find some wild Pokemon to battle," Ash informed the Pokemon.

"Eve," the evolution Pokemon nodded as it walked beside its trainer who had Pikachu on his shoulder. The sun blazing down on them.

"Eve," the Pokemon said from beside the black-haired boy as it turned its head to catch a glimpse of a white egg with strange red and blue markings on it.

"What is it Eevee?" the black haired trainer asked and looked in the direction as well. "A Pokemon egg!" he exclaimed running towards it.

The boy found the egg sitting slumped in the Canyon sand. Quickly, he searched the surrounding area him for any indication of a Pokemon. There was none. No footprints, scratch marks and no attempt at making a nest for it. It could have been dropped and lost by the mother or a human that was transporting it to a lab, or breeder could have misplaced it. Either way, the egg could not stay out in the wild.

Ash stripped off his denim jacket and wrapped it around the strange egg, cradling it gently in his arm.

"I can't believe we almost walked straight past it," Ash muttered. "Good eye, Eevee. If it had not been for you, it would have been left out here where a Pokemon could have walked along and crushed it."

"Eevee," the Pokemon puffed its chest out proudly, purring slightly as the boy bent down to scratch her behind the ears.

"I think we will leave the Canyon now. Eevee, do you want to stay out a bit longer or go back into your Pokeball," Ash asked.

Eevee chose to stay out, keeping its eyes focused on it surrounds. Her owner said she had good eyesight and she was going to make sure that the egg that she found came to no trouble. It was her job now.

* * *

Ash continues his journey with Pikachu and Eevee walking at his side. Since finding the egg, Eevee had refused to return to its Pokeball, instead opting to curl around the hard shell during the night providing the baby with as much warmth as it could. The black haired trainer thought this was a sweet sight to see and could not bring himself to tear the egg and adoptive mother apart. He just hoped that the egg hatched before Eevee would be exchanged, then Ash could catch it and send it with Eevee to Professor Oaks lab.

Stopping at a meadow, the group decided to take a break. In the area, Ash had heard a roamer that a rare Pokemon had just been discovered living here. They say it is called Farfetch'd and the black haired trainer was hoping to come across one. Maybe even capture one.

As he researched using his Pokedex, he read that it was a wild dick Pokemon the tastes delicious is a meal, especially when cooked with a leak. Due to this, Ash learned that humans have almost hunted them to extinction. This could be why the Pokemon migrated here, in order to get away from those that hunt it.

He sat there for the entire day until he heard a strange marching call of the Farfetch'd. From the path, the duck Pokemon paraded towards Ash. It had a yellow beak, brown body and a white underbelly. It had wings as big as its body, which appeared to be prehensile enough to substitute hands as it carried a leak over its shoulder like a soldier would do with their rifle.

"Okay, Pikachu," Ash said loudly. "Attack!"

The yellow mouse Pokemon ran toward the flying type Pokemon who was now stalking up and down the clearing in front of the black haired boy. However, Ash quickly called Pikachu off realising that something wasn't quite right. It was almost as if the Farfetch'd was performing.

Then it clicked, no endangered Pokemon would feel this comfortable around human unless it was a captured Pokemon. Then he thought about what possible reasons this Pokemon had to try and get his attention.

Thieves, Ash thought, recalling the warning sign that he had seen on the board outside of the Police station. They were thieves waiting for a chance to steal his Pokemon.

"Pikachu," Ash said gruffly. "Use thunder at full power!"

Pikachu quickly shocked the wild duck Pokemon with all its strength.

Then suddenly Ash shouted, "Leave now Farfetch'd and tell your trainer that if I ever see you trying to steal Pokemon again I will call the authorities," Ash threatened and the Pokemon sped away from the ground hoping to never run into them again.

Ash sighed, he guessed that he wasn't going to be able to find a rare Pokemon here, especially since the Farfetch'd sightings were more than likely the sightings of the same Farfetch'd who's trainer had taught it to be a criminal.

* * *

Arriving at a small town Pokemon Centre, Ash was surprised when Nurse Joy gave him a message. It was from Professor Oak, asking the black haired boy to call him when he could.

So Ash went to the nearest Videophone and dialled the grey haired Professor's number. When he picked up the phone, an image of the man appeared in front of the black haired trainer.

"Hi, Professor Oak," Ash greeted.

"Hello, there Ash. I suppose my message got to you then," the man shouted causing the boy to wince slightly. "How is everyone? Pikachu is sure looking well," the Professor said.

"We are all great Professor," Ash responded looking down at his Pikachu with a fond smile.

"I am glad to hear it," the old man sighed. "I know no news is good news, but I do wish you would call me more often."

"I know," Ash said. "We've been kind of busy."

Suddenly, a purple Pokemon appeared at the edge of the Videophones screen. The top of its large bobbing head popping in and out as if it was jumping up and down in order to get a look at the boy the Professor was conversing with. The Pokemon then tugged at the old man's lab coat insistently, when it realised it could not see.

"Come on, stop that," the Professor told the Pokemon.

Ash laughed slightly, "Seem like one of your other trainers Pokemon had taken a liking to you."

"Other trainers?" Professor Oak frowned. "Ash, this is your Venonat!" The Professor confessed as he looked at the boy in confusion.

"What! Professor, you must have made a mistake," the black haired trainer cried. "I haven't caught a Venonat yet!"

"Well according to the records you did," he responded matter of factly and picked up the Pokemon in question.

"Ah!" Ash shouted recognising the purple poison and bug type Pokemon. The other trainers in the Pokemon Centre were now staring at them, probably thinking he was throwing a tantrum of some sort. "You are the one that helped us when we got lost."

The Venonat nodded and cheered, happy that the boy had remembered it.

"But I didn't catch you," Ash continued.

"Maybe Venonat took matters into its own hands," the Professor spoke. "After all if it got its hands on your Pokeball it could easily do so."

"Ven-on-at," the insect Pokemon nodded confirming for the boy and Professor that that is exactly what it had done.

"Oh, okay then," Ash said shocked that he had caught a Pokemon without even knowing it.

"Now Ash there are two reasons that I am calling you about. The first is that when you sent your Jigglypuff here she was very ill, however, I am happy to say that she has made a full recovery and is now singing like a... well, like a Jigglypuff."

"That is great, Professor," the black haired boy said. "I had wondered why it did not attack us."

"Yes, and the other reason is that there is a new Pokedex upgrade. It has all the details of the latest Pokemon discoveries," said the Professor as the man began to lean closer to the camera on his end.

"Wow, okay," the boy said excitedly. "How do I get it?"

Professor Oak pointed his finger down saying, "Just put your Pokedex into that slot and I will do it."

As if by magic the slot opened and Ash pushed his Pokedex inside. The red box was then sucked into the videophone and, after Professor Oak claimed he was all done, spat it back out.

"Thanks, Professor," the black haired trainer said. "Bye."

* * *

Still, at the Pokemon Centre, Ash and Pikachu sat at a table looking over the map that was spread out in front of them. Eevee sat on the floor curling its tail around the egg that Ash had given to her to look after. Occasionally, she would lick the egg nudging it slightly with her nose as if asking the baby Pokemon to hurry up and come out.

Every now and then, Ash would bend down and pet the Eevee, as if praising it for looking after the egg so well.

When it was decided where the group will go next, they eagerly left the Pokemon Centre. However, as they did, Ash, Pikachu and Eevee were approached by two strange old women carrying baskets of Pokemon eggs. These eggs had similar colourings and patterns to the egg in the black haired boy's arms.

"Interested in buying a Pokemon egg," one of the women asked.

"Um, no thank you, as you can see I am already looking after one," Ash said politely.

"Aw, can we have a better look," the second woman asked.

"Sure," Ash said uneasily.

Then, as the black haired boy moved to display his Pokemon egg, the two elderly women tossed the contents of their baskets at him. Unknown to Ash, a talking Meowth then snatched the egg from his grasp making it seem as if the real egg was amongst the fake.

"Eevee," the evolution Pokemon growled at the two humans.

"You're not sales women, are you?" Ash said accusingly as he came to the same conclusion that his Eevee had. Someone was trying to steal his egg.

The two women then began to laugh an evil cackle.

"Prepare for trouble," one woman said as she ripped her disguise off.

"Better make it double," the other woman said.

Ash groaned as he realised that it was Team Rocket and the elderly women were Jessie and James who were finishing their motto.

Then when Meowth jumped out to say his line, Ash saw his egg clutched in the cat Pokemon's paws. The trio then did the smartest think that the black haired boy had seen them do since he met then. Run.

"Come back, you thieves," Ash shouted as his Eevee ran after them.


	21. Chapter 21: Togepi and more

**"Do you have any hazelnut cream to go in the coffee?" "Here is Springtown our cows don't produce flavours." - The Wanted Bride by Sylvia McDaniel.**

* * *

 **Hey, guys, I am so sorry about the confusion of the last chapter. Ash caught the female Nidoran and it evolved into Nidorina, however, throughout the last chapter I said Nidorino by mistake. This has been fixed, sorry!**

 **Also, soon Ash will start to challenge gyms and, so I want him to be joined by an OC. I am asking you guys what sort of trainer she will be? The type of trainer with the most votes will be chosen!**

* * *

 **Chapter 21**

Ash followed Eevee's trail of paw prints as the evolution Pokemon, who was ahead of him, was following the scent of Team Rocket. The black haired boy and his Pikachu soon caught up to his other Pokemon, which was waiting in the bushes near an old wooden cabin. The cabin had one window and one door with a vent and wood pile on its left. Large flat grey stones were used in order to create a footpath leading to the front door, which Team Rocket and the egg were behind.

Peeking through the window, Ash watched as James cooked at the stove, Jessie ate on toast and Meowth polished the egg like it was his own.

"Ready Eevee, Pikachu," Ash whispered. The two Pokemon used the window as their entrance, breaking through the glass which scattered shards everywhere. "Dugtrio," Ash then called. "Use Dig to get under the house and take the egg back."

Pikachu and Eevee rampaged through the cabin, causing the cat Pokemon to lose sight of the egg. When the Meowth looked down he saw a small hole in the ground. "Ahh, where's the egg?" the Pokemon shouted loudly.

Meanwhile, Dugtrio resurfaced beside Ash with the egg, happily swaying back and forth in celebration.

"Good job, Dugtrio," Ash said. "Return."

Then as Team Rocket heard Ash's voice they turned towards the broken window. The black-haired boy stood just outside, watching as the chaos unfolded.

"Hey, give me back my egg," the Meowth said.

Eevee did not like the cat Pokemon calling the egg his. It. Was. Hers. She was not going to let some thieves take it from her.

Ash gasped in shock as his Eevee began to evolve, growling and hissing at Team Rocket as she did. Soon, in the place of the small Pokemon, stood Espeon with a thin forked tail and lilac fur.

 **"Espeon, the sun Pokemon. It uses the fine hair that covers its body to sense air currents and predict enemy's actions. This Espeon is female and knows that moves tackle, quick attack, swift, confusion and psybeam."**

"Go, Arbok," Jessie shouted as she threw her Pokeball. The ball popped open revealing a serpent-like Pokemon with purple scales all over its body. It has a large hood just below its head, which has a design similar to an angry face. The pattern typically has red and yellow eyespot outlined it black, a wide black streak resembling a mouth, and a V-shaped stripe about the face pattern.

"Wheezing, attack!" James said. A purple Pokémon appeared from the man's Pokeball. It had two heads, the left head is larger, and has prominent eyebrows, pointed teeth protruding from its lower jaw, and two flat teeth in its upper jaw. The smaller, right head simply has two pointed teeth, one at each corner of its mouth.

Arbok and Weezing? Ash frowned in confusion and then felt recognition fill him. Team Rocket's Pokemon had somehow evolved since he had last seen them. Arbok was much larger than its pre-evolved form of Ekans and Weezing now had two spheres connected to its Koffing body by thin tubes.

"Go Pikachu, Espeon," Ash ordered. "Thunder and Psybeam."

The two attacks combined themselves together increasing the power of it. So, when Team Rocket tried to counter attack, Arbok and Weezing's poison sting and smog was destroyed. Team Rocket was then tossed out of the cabin, after a hole was blown in its side, blasting off again.

Suddenly, Ash could feel something moving inside the egg as it began to glow. It then slowly cracked, starting from the tip, sending web-like line halfway down it. The black haired boy and his Pokemon watched in amazement, waiting impatiently to see what Pokemon is inside.

The top half then completely shattered revealing a small, yellow Pokemon with a round body that was still partly encased in its eggshell. It has stubby hands and round feet with two toes on each. With black eyes and five spikes on its head that seemed to form a crown, it was one of the smallest and cutest Pokemon Ash had ever seen.

As for the Pokemon is stared at the black haired boy in confusion and then, as if a light went on, it began to cheer and laugh. This caused Ash to laugh along with it.

"Espeon," the lilac psychic Pokemon said as it watched the baby Pokemon it had saved hatch into the world.

After a while the baby Pokemon yawned and stretched, saying, "Togi."

* * *

Now outside of the cabin, sitting on a park bench Ash watched as Espeon played peek-a-boo with the newly hatched Pokemon. While the two played Ash sat with the Pokedex, search what type of Pokemon it was.

 **"Togepi, the spike ball Pokemon. The shell seems to be filled with joy. It is said that it will share good luck when treated kindly. This Togepi is female and had yet to learn any moves."**

* * *

Ash marches onwards towards Cinnabar Island, along with the way expecting many challenges from other Pokemon trainers. After all, it was getting closer to the start of the Indigo League, where many people will want to battle their Pokemon. The black haired boy was going to use this as an advantage, allowing his Pokemon to gain more battling experience as well.

The black haired boy's next challenger was a man about a foot taller than him. He had a thick light brown beard and hair, which was covered in a green woollen hat. The man also wore a red shirt with a sleeveless denim jacket pulled over the top.

"Rhyhorn, I choose you," the man shouted.

With Espeon watching over Togepi, Ash chose his Dugtrio for this battle. It was ground type vs ground type.

"Rhyhorn, takedown now," ordered the brunette man.

The large grey Rhyhorn with red eyes charged towards Dugtrio causing the earth to quake with every step. It was the Pokemon's body weight that caused this shaking, resulting the triplet mole Pokemon to quiver along with it.

"Use dig," Ash ordered and Dugtrio quickly borrowed miles underground to escape the tremors caused by the Pokemon.

When the triplets resurfaced the Rhyhorn was glancing wildly around in confusion.

"Dugtrio, use a sand attack," Ash said not skipping a beat.

The mole Pokemon quickly began to throw sand into the Rhyhorns eyes, blinding the Pokemon and reducing the accuracy of it attacks. This gave Ash's Pokemon a higher advantage over the large creature.

"Horn attack," the other trainer ordered.

However, Ash just as quickly told his Pokemon to use tri attack. So, as the ground and rock type Pokemon charged towards Dugtrio, three beams of power shot from the mole Pokemon and converged. Rhyhorn was hit with all three beams, knocking it unconscious from the attack.

"Wow, your Pokemon have been really well trained," the man commented after the battle was over.

"Thank you," Ash said. "Your Rhyhorn is a great fighter."

After the two talked for a bit, they said their goodbyes, each splitting ways. The man, Steve, Ash learned had already earned his eighth badge and was challenging trainers in order for his Pokemon to gain more experience. The black haired did not mind this as his Pokemon were also gaining fighting experience very time he accepted a challenge.

* * *

Continuing on his journey, Ash found himself travelling through the forest, however, the forest wasn't as quiet as the black haired boy originally thought.

"Clefairy! Clefairy!" a voice shouted through the thick trees.

"What is that?" Ash asked his Pikachu and Espeon, who shook their heads not knowing either.

The constant calling of 'Clefairy', became louder as whoever was shouting slowly approached the area the trainer and his Pokemon were in. So, a few minutes later from the trees emerged a pink Pokemon with chubby, vaguely star-shaped body. A small pointed tooth protrudes from the upper left corner of its mouth.

As soon as the Clefairy caught sight of Ash, Pikachu, Espeon and Togepi, it rushed towards them saying, "Clef, Clefairy, fairy!"

Ash, of course, did not understand what the small pink Pokemon was saying and instead asked Pikachu to try and translate. This translation came in the forms of the yellow mouse Pokemon's surprisingly good stick drawings. Drawn into the dirt beneath their feet was, first, two stick people and then, second, one stick person (or Pokemon in this case) with question marks floating around. The black haired boy understood.

The Clefairy in front of him had lost its friend and was asking the boy and his Pokemon if they had seen it.

Shaking his head sadly, Ash crouched down on his knees so that he was roughly the same height as the fairy Pokemon. "I am sorry Clefairy, you are the first Pokemon I have seen since entering the forest," Ash said and watched as the pink Pokemon sagged in defeat, tears pooling in its eyes.

"But, hey, I am sure we can help you," the black haired boy said trying to cheer the Pokemon up. It worked.

With the thought of three extra pairs of eyes looking for its friend, Clefairy perked back up with newly found energy.

"Clefairy!" the fairy Pokemon said, jumping up and down.

"Okay, then let's go," Ash said. "Take us to the last place you saw your friend."

Clefairy nodded leading the way to a small clearing that the two Pokemon had slept in the night before. It was filled with tree stubs, which sat on either end of the small patch of grass. Scattered around were strange red and white mushrooms. These mushrooms were harmless and most Pokemon enjoyed eating them, especially grass and bug type Pokemon.

Upon further inspection, Ash saw a few of the mushrooms had been picked. Since the clearing was quite difficult for a human to get to then this meant that either Clefairy's friend ate them or a Pokemon stumbled across them.

"Clefairy!" Ash called. "I think you friend went this way."

"Clef," shouted the pink Pokemon as it followed the black haired trainer, who was trailing the eaten mushrooms. It was just a hunch, but it was a start, and it was the only evidence that he could find.

However, the trail soon ran cold as whatever Pokemon had been picking them had stopped. Ash hoped that this meant the Pokemon was sleeping somewhat around here.

"Let's take a break and eat something while we can," Ash said and began to cook the rice that the black haired boy had been carrying in his bag.

Once the rice was cooked Ash made over a dozen rice balls and began to feed Togepi as his other Pokemon helped themselves.

"So, what type of Pokemon is your friend?" Ash asked the Clefairy as he fed the baby Pokemon a small mouthful of rice.

"Clefairy," the Pokemon said approaching the black haired boy and pulled out his Pokedex. The pink Pokemon then pressed one of the buttons causing a picture to appear on the small screen. It was a Pokemon covered with thick blue vines that obscured its face so only its eyes could be seen.

Dexter then said in a robotic voice, "Tangela, the vine Pokemon. Its whole body is swathed with wide vines that are similar to seaweed. The vines shake as it walks."

Suddenly,the cry if an attacking Spearow caught the black haired trainer's attention. Other Spearow soon swept past the boy and his Pokemon, speeding towards wherever the flock was attacking.

"Oh no, we better make sure no one gets hurts," Ash knew that the Spearow and their evolved form Fearow were both extremely aggressive and territorial. If a trainer or Pokemon invaded their territory it was within the flying types belief that the intruder should be executed.

To make matters worse, it turned out that the Pokemon Ash and Clefairy were seeking was the one the Spearows were about to attack. What looked like hundreds of Spearow surrounded the Tangela as the grass type Pokemon trembled in fear.

"Clefairy," exclaimed the pink Pokemon as it ran over to it friend.

"Clefairy, no!" Ash shouted lunging to grab the daily type Pokemon, but it escaped, running directly towards the centre of the flock of Spearow.

"Pikachu and Magnemite, I chose you," Ash shouted. Pikachu quickly jumped off its trainer's shoulder as the magnet Pokemon emerged from its Pokeball. "Thunder."

The two electric type attacks struck just at the right time as the Spearow pecked and scratched at the Tangela and Clefairy. The flock then did two things: the weaker Spearow fell to the ground unconscious from the electric attack and the Spearow that were slightly stronger fled, flying unsteadily through the sky.

Taking the opportunity, the black haired trainer allowed himself to catch one of the fallen Pokemon just before he rushed everyone out of the Spearows territory.

Ash then took it upon himself to discipline the two Pokemon , telling them both to be more aware of their surroundings and not run head first into trouble. The two Pokemon then nodded shamefully at the boy agreeing with his words.

Then Ash signed and smiled slightly at the two Pokemon, "I am glad you two found each other again. We have to go now, so you guys be careful and, Tangela, don't wonder off again."

With that said Ash moved to set off on to his next adventure with Pikachu and Espeon at his side, Pikachu on his shoulder and Togepi in his arms.

The two friends looked at each other before turning back to the black haired trainer who was leisurely walking away.

"Tang!"

"Fairy!" the two Pokemon shouted and ran after the black haired trainer. They didn't want to be left behind.


	22. Chapter 22: Fiery Battles

**"For a while, I'd believed I was terrible at everything, useless and worthless and unlovable. I guess if you're beaten down enough times, eventually you realise it's easiest to stay there on the ground." - Shattered Hearts by Octavia Wildwood**

 **Ash's current Pokemon:**

 **1) Pikachu - Electric**

 **2) Pidgeotto - Flying/Normal**

 **3) Raticate - Normal**

 **4) Mankey - Fighting**

 **5) Oddish - Poison/Grass**

 **6) Butterfree - Bug**

 **7) Rhyhorn - Ground/Rock**

 **8) Golbat - Poison/Flying**

 **9) Poliwag - Water**

 **10) Shiny Gyarados - Water**

 **11) Bulbasaur - Grass/Poison**

 **12) Charmander - Fire**

 **13) Squirtle - Water**

 **14) Seadra - Water**

 **15) Bellsprout - Grass/Poison**

 **16) Gastly - Ghost/Poison**

 **17) Parasect - Bug/Grass**

 **18) Nidoran - Poison**

 **19) Muk - Poison**

 **20) Magnemite - Electric/Steel**

 **21) Diglett - Ground**

 **22) Ponyta - Fire**

 **23) Female Eevee - Normal**

 **24) Brave Eevee - Normal**

 **25) Male Eevee - Normal**

 **26) Male Eevee - Normal**

 **27) Male Eevee - Normal**

 **28) Snorlax - Normal**

 **29) JugglyPuff - Fairy**

 **30) Venonat - Poison/Bug**

 **31) Togepi (Not official) - Fairy**

 **32) Spearow - Flying/Normal**

 **33) Clefairy - Fairy**

 **34) Tangela - Grass**

* * *

 **Chapter 22**

At lunch, Ash and his Pokemon enjoy the Pokemon food and sandwiches that the black haired boy made. It was a nice day out, Pidgey were singing and the sun was beaming down on him. However, the trainer now had to make one of the hardest decisions ever. He had to separate Espeon from Togepi.

Ash knew the baby fairy Pokemon would be sad at first , but Togepi bonded with him as much so as she did Espeon. It was the psychic Pokemon Ash was worried about. The lilac Pokemon had become ever attached to 'her' baby.

"Espeon," it is time to go back into your Pokeball," Ash tried and was promptly ignored by the Pokemon. "Espeon, Please," Ash tried again as she refused to even look at the black haired trainer. "I know it is selfish of me to ask you to leave Togepi so that I can train my other Pokemon, but we will all watch over her. Then..." he paused trying to find the right wording. "Then I promise when Togepi is a little older I will officially capture her, sending her to you at Professor Oaks lab."

Silence spread throughout the Pokemon around Ash, each waiting with baited breath for the psychic type Pokemon to make a decision. To Ash's relief, the lilac Pokemon nodded its head, giving the boy a look that said, 'you better keep your promise'.

Sighing in relief, Ash held out the red and white Pokeball saying, "Espeon return."

Then the trainer flipped open his Pokedex and selected Nidorina, Muk, Magnemite, Dugtrio and Espeon to switch with Ponyta, Eevee, Snorlax, Jigglypuff and Venonat. The trading was instantaneous, allowing Ash to release all of his Pokemon to start training, but first, he scanned them.

 **"Ponyta, the fire horse Pokemon. Its hooves are ten times harder than diamonds. It can trample anything completely flat in little time. This Pokemon is female and knows that moves tackle, flame wheel and stomp.**

 **Eevee, the evolution Pokemon. Its genetic code is irregular. It may mutate if it is exposed to radiation from element stones. This Eevee is male and knows the moves sand attack, quick attack and bite.**

 **Snorlax, the sleeping Pokemon. Very lazy, it just sleeps and eats. As its rotund bulk builds, it becomes steadily more slothful. This Snorlax is male and has the egg move belch. Known moves are chip away and body slam.**

 **Jigglypuff, the balloon Pokemon. When its huge eyes light up, it sings a mysteriously soothing melody that lulls its enemies to sleep. This Jigglypuff is female and knows the move sing.**

 **Venonat, the insect Pokemon. Lives in the shadows of tall trees where it eats insects. It is attracted by light at night. This Venonat is male and knows the moves supersonic and tackle."**

After the training session, Ash once again asked his second Eevee what it wanted to evolve into. This time it was Flareon. The black haired boy knew this would be more difficult to do due to the fact that Fire Stones cost more money than he had and were very hard to find in the wild. Therefore, Ash will have to enter a competition or be very lucky.

Continuing on, the black haired boy boarded a white cruise ship that was scheduled to dock at Cinnabar Island in a day or two. Standing at the railing Ash enjoyed the view of the large ship slicing through the water. Shadows of unknown Pokemon following just below the surface. It was very peaceful.

That is until a loud arrogant voice said, "Alright, calm down girls. Everyone can take a picture with me."

It was Gary Oak wearing a Panama straw hat to cover his eyes from the sun, with an ugly pink shirt adoring ocean blue stars on it.

The brown haired boy then raised his sunglasses off his eyes and said, "Who let this loser on the boat?"

Ash knew Gary was talking about him, but the black haired trainer just ignored his rival dressed in pink. The boy always tried to pick fights with Ash and sometimes he would win, but others he would lose disastrously.

For the entire sail, this is what Ash had put up with. Gary and his fans constantly trying to show up the boy. By the end of the journey Ash, Pikachu and Togepi were the first ones to escape, but the black haired boy said or did something he would regret, leaving Gary and his cheerleaders to choke on the dust he left behind.

Cinnabar Island was a resort island located off the Southern Coast of the Kanto region, south of Pallet Town. It was well known for its hot springs and Volcanoes. Many shops and stalls were located around the island, mostly staying close to the hotels in order to temp as many vacationers as possible.

In his exploration of the island, Ash came across the old remnants of the Cinnabar gym where trainers could earn a Volcano badge. However, it is said that the gym leader still lives, it is just that he grew tired of the tourists only wanting t-shirts and postcards.

"Blaine built a gym that no tourists can see. It is in a place that firefighters could never win," a man whispered over Ash's shoulder, into the boy's ear, causing him to jump away in shock as goose bumps ran down his neck.

The man had long, thick curly blonde hair with a fluffy blonde moustache. He wore large round sunglasses, making him look like a hippie from the 1980's.

"Er, thanks, mister, but I am not here for a gym battle. I am looking for new Pokemon, training areas and a fire stone," Ash informed the man, ticking his list off on his fingers as he juggled Togepi.

"I am sure Blaine can help you with at least one of those items," the blonde hippie said and then disappeared.

Ash stood there for a while coming to the conclusion that he had nothing to do or lose anyway. So, he then contemplated the riddle. A place where firefighters can't win. So it had to be a place with no water... Blaine is also a fire type Pokemon trainer so it will be somewhere that these Pokemon can fight well. Ash's eyes wander towards the main attraction for the island. A volcano. But how did he get there?

As if Togepi was reading the black haired boys mind, it began to wriggle, forcing him to drop the baby Pokemon. Togepi gracefully landed on her feet and ran towards a spring at the base of the Volcano, with the boy and Pikachu following behind the surprisingly fast Pokemon.

"Togepi, stop!" Ash shouted after the fairy type Pokemon.

Once reaching the volcano's wall that acted like a wall of the hot springs, Togepi then leapt on top of the strangely protruding stone that looked like a clean-cut rectangular level.

It moves, revealing a hidden entrance beyond the rock walls.

Carefully walking down the steps with the troublesome baby Pokemon in his arms, and Pikachu on his shoulder, Ash felt the air getting hotter. At the bottom, there was a red rock door and as Ash went to push it open he sprang back in pain. The door was blistering hot.

Then the grinding sound of rock against rock caused Ash to look away from his hand that was throbbing and now coloured an angry red. The door was opening.

Inside the volcano was a rock battling field sitting in a pool of lava. Large medieval touches were scattered around the area, lit was welcoming orange and yellow flames.

"I see you figured out my riddle," the voice of the hippie came from the other side of the arena. The hippie then ripped off his blonde hair showing Ash the grey-haired, balding head beneath it.

"A wig," Ash muttered. "I should have known."

"Yes, a wig," the odd hippie turned old man said. "I wear it to hide the fact that I am Blaine the gym leader!" The old man then said, "You said you wanted to train you Pokemon, how about a three on three battle, I have grown bored over the years."

Ash contemplated the suggestion for a moment. This could be a great opportunity to evaluate his and his Pokemon's strengths and weaknesses. He would be able to see first hand the true strength of a gym leader with as much experience as Blain has.

"Okay," the black haired boy said. "Let's battle."

"Excellent," the old man smiled, his voice low and raspy with age. He then grabbed a Pokeball from his belt and threw it.

The Pokemon the gym leader called out was fox-like in appearance with thick, luxurious golden white fur.

"Ninetales," the fire Pokemon said.

Since Ash had no water, rock or ground type Pokemon he would not win due to type advantage in this battle. So he called out his Snorlax, who lay on the ground snorting. The Pokemon did not so much as twitch in his sleep.

The black haired boy hoped that the Snorlax will wake up soon as it was roughly around the time that the boy usually feeds it.

"A normal type," the gym leader said. "How different." He then shouted for his Pokemon to use fire spin.

When the attack hit Snorlax directly the result was just as Ash had predicted. Very little damage was dealt with the sleeping Pokemon due to the fact that its fat gives him a limited amount of protection. The black haired trainer then saw that Snorlax had begun to wake up, grumbling and looking around in confusion.

"Snorlax, use body slam," Ash ordered.

Ash's Pokemon then stood up to its fall height, looming over the Ninetales. Then it slowly began to fall forward.

"Ninetailes, dodge it and use fine spins again."

The Ninetales jumped into the air avoiding the sleeping Pokemon's large body. When it was strategically positioned at the Snorlax's back it then used fire spin once again.

"Snorlax, no!" Ash shouted, but it was too late. The large Pokemon was bathed in flames, the attack lasting longer than the fire types first fire spin. So, when the flames dispersed, Ash saw that his Pokemon had succumbed to the effects.

Now, Ash decided to fight fire with fire, calling out his Ponyta. The black haired trainer was hoping that the fire horse Pokemon's natural speed will aid him in this battle. However, before the fight started, the gym leader called back his Ninetales instead calling out his Rhydon. A Pokemon with both dinosaur and rhinoceros features and the evolved form of Rhyhorn.

This was a problem as Rhydon was resistant to fire type moves. Although, Ponyta also knows some normal type attack as well.

"Rhydon, horn drill," the old man ordered.

"Ponyta, dodge and then use tackle."

The Rhydon's drill began to spin as it charged toward Ponyta. However, the fire type Pokemon was much faster dodging easily and attacking just as effectively.

"Rhydon, fury attack!" Blaine ordered.

Rhydon consistently jabbed its horn at Ponyta, who danced gracefully around them.

The old man smiled, "hey, pretty impressive."

Ash then ordered Ponyta to use stomp and watched as the fire horse Pokemon reared up on its back legs, sending its harder than diamond hooves into the ground.

The battling platform began to shake, causing Rhydon to lose its balance on its two legs and falling onto its back.

"Ha, is that the best you got," the gym leader mocked.

"Again, Ponyta, with more power," Ash ordered. This time as Ponyta stomped its hooves heavily into the ground something happened.

CRACK!

The battlefield broke into half a dozen pieces causing Rhydon's feet to be split between two slabs. The rock and ground Pokemon panicked forcing Blain to return it to his Pokeball.

"I choose Magnar!" the gym leader shouted.

This Pokemon had a red body with yellow flame designs on it. A row of red spikes runs down its back and it had two lumps on its forehead.

"Ponyta return," Ash ordered knowing his Pokemon was tired from its battle. "I choose Eevee."

"Magmar, fire punch now," Blaine shouted.

The spitfire Pokemon then raised its fire covered fist and moved towards the normal type Pokemon, ignoring the broken battlefield beneath it. Magmar then punched towards Eevee.

"Use quick attack to dodge," Ash shouted.

Eevee perfectly manoeuvred its way around the fire type Pokemon's attack and the broken floor. The flaming fist not coming an inch near his caramel brown fur.

When Magmar stopped its attack, Eevee escaped, jumping to the end of the arena.

"Magmar, fire blast," the gym leader ordered.

The spitfire Pokemon then reared its head back, opening its beak-like mouth and breathing a torrent of red-hot fire at Ash's Pokemon. The fire formed the traditional Chinese symbol for the Pokemon's element, which looks similar to a five-pointed star.

It burned towards Eevee and with no escape in mind, Ash called his Pokemon back into the safety of its Pokeball.

"You did very well, Eevee," Ash told it.

The battle was over.

"Wise decision," Blaine said as he walked onto the battlefield, fearlessly jumping from rock slab to rock slab. Then when he finally stood in front of Ash he continued, "You fought surprisingly well, I can't wait to see how you will grow."

"Thanks, Blain," Ash smiled. "You gave some of my Pokemon a great work out."

"I am happy to help," the old man said before pulling on his dark blonde wig. "I do not get many visiting me down here."

Then the old man walked away leaving Ash, Pikachu and Togepi alone in the bottom of a volcano.

"That was great, wasn't it, Pikachu," Ash said trying to contain his excitement. "I can't believe how strong his Pokemon are. Next time, we're going to beat him and earn ourselves a Volcano badge."

"Pika," the yellow mouse Pokemon agreed.

* * *

Walking along the edge of the ocean, Ash, Pikachu and Togepi waited for the cruise ship to dock and transport him back to the mainland. The calm shushing of the waves lulled the baby fairy Pokemon to sleep. Everything was peaceful until Pikachu caught the sound of a Pokemon in distress. With its sharp rodent hearing, the yellow mouse Pokemon raced towards the sound leaving its owner to chase after him.

It was then that the trio came across a distressed blue snake-like Pokemon. With a white underside and white, three-pronged fins on the side of its head, it looked like a water type to Ash, but looks can be deceiving. The Pokemon was small, reaching about three feet long with a small white bump on its forehead.

"Dra," the Pokemon whined in fear as it saw Ash approach it.

"Pika, pi," the yellow mouse Pokemon said as it tried to reassure the Pokemon its owner was friendly. However, the dragon Pokemon just cried in pain, wriggling wildly until it reveals its belly.

Ash gasped and quickly ordered Pikachu to hold it down, but it kept resisting causing more blood to seep into the ground as the Pokemon worsened its injuries.

"Jigglypuff, I choose you," Ash called out his pink balloon Pokemon. "Use sing on that Pokemon."

Jigglypuff immediately perked up as it was asked to perform. All the pink Pokemon could think about was how she would be praised for her beautiful voice.

The black haired boy and Pikachu blocked their ears as the song began to affect them as well, making the pair seem drowsy. The song caused Togepi to slip into a deeper sleep, which Ash through would not be a bad idea for the moment. He could only deal with one troublesome Pokemon at a time. However, the boy needed to stay awake in order to treat the blue serpent-like Pokemon.

When the song was over, Ash relaxed and pulled his fingers from his ears. He was surprised that the fairy type Pokemon puffed its cheeks out in annoyance, looking like she was about to cry.

"It's okay, Jigglypuff," Ash reassured the pink Pokemon. "You did great!"

The balloon Pokemon then turned to face Ash, its eyes sparkling happily. She thought that Ash had complemented her singing, the boy having managed to stay awake during its song. However, in actuality, the black haired boy was complementing her ability to put the Pokemon to sleep.

Looking at the water types injuries, Ash tsked. There was no way he could heal the Pokemon with his limited supplies, but Cinnabar Island only had one Pokemon Centre which was miles away. The snake-like Pokemon would not make it that long.

"I will have to catch it," Ash concluded. This way the blue Pokemon will be sent to Professor Oak, who will have the tools and supplies to heal it. Then if it did not want to stay with the black haired boy, he would release it the next time he was in Cinnabar.

So, with that said, Ash tapped the button of his empty Pokeball onto its head, sending it to Professor Oak.


	23. Chapter 23: Return to Pallet

**"I don't know why they're called 'werewolves'. Though they have wolf-like heads and teeth, they seem more like gorillas." - Endlessly by C.V. Hunt**

* * *

 **Chapter 23**

Ash couldn't believe it had already been a year since he started his journey. It was now time for the black haired boy and his Pikachu to circle back and head home. Of course, he trained his Pokemon on the way.

This is what Ash was doing now. At the moment each of his Pokemon was working on their individual skills, training and improving new and olds moves. Since the battle with Blain Ash and his Pokemon were fired up, wanting to get stronger and stronger before they faced the old man again.

Ponyta was trying to learn fire spin, inspired by its last battle with the fire type gym leader. Eevee had learned take down and was now trying to improve his strength and speed behind the move.

Snorlax... well, he sleeps through most of his training. However, Ash has developed a routine of sorts specifically focusing on when the sleeping Pokemon can eat. Since Snorlax wakes up only to eat nine hundred pounds of food a day, Ash learned to feed Snorlax only a fraction of this amount throughout the day to ensure that the Pokemon was wake when it was needed and asleep when it wasn't. So, with more time to spend with the large Pokemon, Snorlax finally cooperated and was now perfecting his rollout attack.

Jigglypuff could now focus the sleeping effects of its song to its opponents, allowing Ash and the others to hear its beautiful melody without falling asleep like its target would. It also learned the move double slap and was now working on roll.

Finally, since Ash already had a range of poison type Pokemon, the black haired boy was trying to do something unconventional and teach his Venonat to use a psychic type move, psybeam, and a grass type move, solar beam.

Ash's most difficult task is having Pikachu learn iron tail. The yellow mouse Pokemon continuously struck a large grey boulder with its tail, with Ash making comments such as jump higher, rotate in the air to gain momentum before striking, and feed more power into it.

At the end of the training session the trainer and his Pikachu was disappointed. The iron tail would have been a great advantage again rock type Pokemon, however, they were not giving up. They had finally gotten the technique right but the attack did not have enough power to stay in place long enough to smash the rock. Pikachu needed more power.

On his way home, Ash spotted a public videophone and decided to call his mum to inform her that he would be home soon. After a few moments of ringing, an image of her appears on the screen. She had her brown hair tied at the nape of her neck, wearing her favourite pink cardigan and a dull yellow shirt underneath.

"Hi, mum," Ash smiled, happy to see her even if it was just over the phone.

However, Ash stopped, realising that it was not actually her. "Thank you for calling the Ketchum residence but we are unfortunately not able to take your call," the answering machine said. So, Ash left a short message after the been telling her of his plans.

Walking down the road, Ash, Pikachu and Togepi could see their home in the distance causing the boy to pick up his pace excitedly.

Suddenly, the black haired trainer and Togepi smashed into an invisible wall, causing the boy and his Pokemon to stumble back in pain. Ash eyes waters and he felt his nose throb in protest. Togepi wasn't doing much better as it cried tears of pain whilst sitting on the floor. Its right arm swelling alarmingly.

"You are okay. Togepi," Ash soothed and began to search through his bag, sighing in defeat. He then told the baby Pokemon, "Sorry Togepi, can you hold out until we get home?"

The small Pokemon put on a brave face and then waved its good arm happily as if to say 'I've still got this one'. The fairy Pokemon was trying to prove that when it was older it would be able to battle with Ash's other Pokemon. It wasn't a cry baby.

Ash then picked Togepi up and inspected the invisible wall further. It was upon looking up that he spotted a strange Pokemon scaling the barrier. It had a humanoid round and white body with magenta pads on the tips of its white fingers and dark blue feet that curled upwards. Mr Mime.

The black haired boy then watched as the barrier Pokemon jumped over his self-made wall and ran towards Pallet town.

"I guess we are walking around this thing," Ash sighed. He had been so close to home and, now, who knows how far he will have to walk to avoid the invisible wall.

Eventually, Ash made it to his house. It was a relatively large, wooden place with a small garden and white picket fence.

"I'm home," Ash shouted. "Do you have an ice pack?"

"Ash, welcome home. You will have to check to see if we have any ice packs left," Ash's mother, Delia Ketchum said. "I remember having plenty when you were younger. Little boys got into so much mischief."

The black haired boy walked into the living room, which was connected to the kitchen and froze. The Mr Mime who had put up the barrier outside of town was eating curry at the table. What was even more shocking was the fact that the Pokemon seemed to be enjoying the mystery curry that Ash hated so much. The boy swears that his much puts a tonne of sugar into it along with a good dose of black pepper.

"Mum, why is Mr Mime here?" Ash questioned as he strolled calmly into the kitchen and began to dig through the freezer for an ice pack. When there was none in there, Ash went on to scour the fridge.

"Oh, he was standing outside the window looking so lost and sad, the poor dear," Delia said as she stood over the stove stirring a pot of tomato and pepper soup that made Ash's mouth water. Now, that is something his mum always cooked to perfection. "So, I let him in."

"Oh, okay," Ash shrugged. The boy could deal with that. After all the barrier Pokemon was not known to be violent or temperamental.

By the end of the day, Mr Mime was already part of the family, helping his mum cook and clean. Ash was happy for the two of them because, now, maybe his mum won't be so lonely when he leaves again.

* * *

The next morning Ash woke up and rushed to Professor Oaks lab. The black haired boy pushed open the lab door, letting himself in, revealing the bright yellow room behind it. Beside him was a wooden chest of drawers with a beautiful floral plate sitting on top. Above the chest was a painting of a tree in the snow, peaceful and calm.

"Ash," exclaimed the Professor. "You have a Togepi."

"Er, yeah," the black haired boy said lifting the baby Pokemon up so Professor Oak could get a better look at her. "I hatched it from an egg with my Espeon."

"Well isn't that something," the old man said in awe, staring at the rare Pokemon with fascination. He then turned to Ash and said, "I am glad you are here, but you're not the only Pokemon trainer to stop by today."

The old man then led Ash and his Pokemon into the living room where Gary Oak sat, thankfully, without his cheerleaders. The brown haired boy wore a bluish purple shirt and a yellow and turquoise pendant around his neck.

"Ash," the boy said and all Ash could think was 'here it comes'.

"I am not surprised you're late, I am surprised you showed up at all."

The black haired trainer sighed. Gary was so predictable.

"Enough Gary," Professor Oak scolded the boy. "Why can't Pallet Towns top two trainers get along."

"Top two trainers," Gary exclaimed. "Him!"

Ash stared at the brown haired boy and said in an overly surprised tone, "I am shocked too, who knew Gary Oak was more than an egotistical spoilt brat."

"Stop it you two," the old man shouted.

"Okay," Ash said somewhat glumly. The boy would play nice for a little while. "Hey Gary, I thought you were battling in the Pokemon League at the end of the month."

"I am," the brown haired boy said puffing up his chest like a peacock displayed its feathers in mating season. "But unlike some trainers I have a car and will get there within a day."

Somehow Ash and Gary had gotten into another fight, resulting in the two showing off the Pokemon that each of them caught. At the lab, the electric door opened after the old man typed in a nine digit code. Beyond the doors were shelves filled with Pokeballs. There must have been thousands of Pokemon in this one room.

When showing the two boys their shelves, the Professor stated that while Ash only had thirty-five Pokemon, Gary had just over two hundred. The brown haired boy turned and said, "I have learned that you can never have too many Pokemon, so I captured more than one of the same kind."

"Oh, Professor," Ash exclaimed ignoring the boy's speech. "How is the Pokemon I sent you?"

The elderly man looked down at the black haired trainer and said," You mean the Dratini? It was making a full recovery. You are lucky you caught it just on time and brought it here otherwise it would have died."

" _You_ caught a Dratini," Gary exploded. "How did you get your hands on such a rare Pokemon?"

"I found it injured on Cinnabar island and couldn't get it medical attention. Although I didn't know if was a Dratini, I just through it was a weird water type Pokemon," the black haired boy explained.

Then the grey haired Professor gave Ash and Gary a tour of the Pokemon facilities. The first stop was the medical centre where Dratini was healing. The dragon Pokemon slept soundly with bandaged wrapped around its body covering the large gashes that Ash had seen when they first met.

The Professor then took them through the meadow, forest and water areas. In the meadow area, Gary was greeted by his Doduo in a mild manner, while Ash was buried in his Pokemon who enthusiastically welcomed the boy home.

"Ha ha, stop," Ash laughed as Oddish's leaves tickled him under the chin. "Oddish, Bulbasaur, Bellsprout, enough."

Eventually, the black haired boy extracted himself from the grass Pokemon. He then walked back to a smiling Professor and a story looking Gary, who looked like he had just been outdone by a pro. Was the other boy jealous of Ash relationship with the Pokemon?

No, that is silly.

"Ash, what do you say we have a Pokemon battle?" Gary suddenly asks, causing the black haired boy to change his mind. Gary was jealous. "I could use a little practice before the Pokemon League."

"Alright, Gary," the black haired trainer agreed. "I am ready when you are."

"Pika," the electric mouse Pokemon said flexing its non-existent muscles.

The two boys then made their way over to a clear area in order to battle. With a Pokeball in hand and Professor Oak as the referee, the battle commenced.

"Go Pikachu," Ash shouted as Gary released his water type Pokemon, Krabby.

"Krabby, use bubble beam," Gary ordered and watch as silver bubbled shot from the crab Pokemon's claws.

"Dodge and use thunder," Ash commanded.

Pikachu then dodged the attack by jumping into the air and releasing a bolt of thunder towards its opponent.

"Krabby, harden."

The water Pokemon quickly hardened its shell minimising the affect the electric move had on it.

"Quick attack followed by a tail whip," Ash said.

This was where the constant endurance and speed training showed the most, as the yellow mouse Pokemon charged towards the water type Pokemon, slamming into its red body before it and its trainer could see the attack coming. Pikachu then whipped its body around causing its tail to collide with his opponent.

"Krabby is unable to battle, Pikachu wins," Professor Oak stated.

After returning Krabby, Gary called out his Nidoking ordering it to use horn attack. The large Pokemon marched towards the small Pikachu as fast as it could, its head bent so the horn could puncture anything in front of it.

"Pikachu thunder," Ash shouted, however, it was too late.

The poison and ground type Pokemon rammed into the yellow mouse, sending it flying.

"Pikachu is unable to battle. Nidoking wins," came Professor Oak voice.

"Ponyta, I choose you," Ash shouted calling out his fire type Pokemon. "Flame wheel."

The fire horse Pokemon turned into a red ball of flames as it ran towards Nidoking, appearing as nothing more than a ball of blazing fire.

"Nidoking, tackle the flame wheel."

The large purple Pokemon crashed into Ponyta, knocking both Pokemon about of the battle.

"Ponyta and Nidoking are unable to battle."

Gray then pulled out his last Pokeball for this three on three match. He couldn't believe how hard it was to beat the loser, Ash. Ash who had already won one battle and drawn the other. The brown haired boy had to save face. He had to win the next battle to at least even the score against the black haired boy.

"Go Arcanine."

"Go Venonat."

The large fire Pokemon and big purple poison type Pokemon stared at each other. Ready to tear each other apart if their owns asked them to do so.

"Arcanine, takedown attack," Gary ordered.

The canine Pokemon ran straight into the insect Pokemon causing it to stumble back. Its small legs doing nothing to help it.

"Use supersonic," Ash said knowing that Arcanine would not be able to deal with the high pitched attack as its ears were too sensitive.

The fire type Pokemon staggered back and put its head between its paws. It would do anything to stop the head-splitting noise.

"Use your fire spin attack," Gary said.

Hesitantly, the legendary Pokemon raised its head and opened its mouth. Hot yellow flames broke from its jaw and wrapped around Ash's poison type Pokemon. The flames squeezed and squeezed until a large column of yellow fire burst towards the sky.

"Venonat!" Ash shouted running worriedly towards his Pokemon. As he cradled the injured purple Pokemon in his arms, the black haired boy gasped and covered his eyes.

A white light engulfed the Venonat, causing Ash to feel a comforting heat seep into his limbs. Venonat evolved into Venomoth.

This Pokemon had a light purple body with bulbous, round eyes and large pupils. Its thorax is paler with several zigzagging stripes running across the horixontal length. It has six short legs and a three-point crest star on its head. With two pairs of wings covered in dust-like purple scales, Venomoth could fly through the air as swiftly as a Butterfree.

"Wow," Ash said as he took out his Pokedex and scanned it.

 **"Venomoth, the poison moth Pokemon. The dust-like scales on its wings are colour coded to indicate the kinds of poisons it has. This Venomoth is male and knows the moves supersonic, tackle, silver wind and psybeam."**

* * *

This was great Ash thought as he watched Gary leave. Venomoth had evolved and Ash had over a month to train the rest of his Pokemon at Professor Oak's lab until the Pokemon gyms reopen and issue badges for the next years League. The black haired boy was going to be ready for it. But will the gym leaders and trainer be ready for him?


	24. Chapter 24: The Shy Daughter

**"Holy shit!" I muttered. "I just had a fucked up dream."**

 **"It's got to be bad when a vampire has a nightmare. Verloren, you're what nightmares are made of." - Endlessly by C.V. Hunt**

* * *

 **Chapter 24**

Ash's mum had left for a trip to Seafoam Island while the black haired boy trained his Pokemon. He had yet to obtain a fire stone of Eevee, however, the trainer had several jobs lined up to help him earn some extra money. For example, today he was going to help the little old lady next door and tend to the garden. He was also Pokemon sitting for one of his mum's friends who wanted to attend his daughter's surprise birthday party.

The black haired boy had a busy schedule and he couldn't wait to get started.

* * *

"Hi, Professor Oak," Ash said as he walked into the Pokemon Research lab hours later covered in dirt.

"Hi there Ash, back to train your Pokemon," Professor Oak said.

"Of course," cheered Ash and Pikachu with Togepi in his arms. "I need to evolve the rest of my Eevee. One wants to be Flareon, and the others want to be Umbreon, Glaceon and Jolteon.

"Ah," the Professor said. "You do know that you can't evolve Eevee into Glaceon if it is not around ice, right?"

"I know," Ash sighed. "But there is nowhere around here that it can evolve. So, we'll just have to wait."

"Oh, I know," the old Professor said holding up his finger. "I could send your Eevee to Professor Rowan in the Sinnoh region. I heard that he was spending time in Snowpoint City observing ice Pokemon evolutions. I am sure he will be happy to look after it."

"Really!" Ash smiled at the Professor. "That would be great. Let me ask Eevee a second."

The black haired boy shot off towards the forest area where his Eevee and Espeon were relaxing. After a brief conversation, Ash then leads his brave Eevee back to Professor Oak who was already on the videophone.

"There they are now," the old man announced spotting Ash, Togepi and Eevee. "Professor Rowan, this is Ash Ketchum and his Eevee that he is going to send over to you."

"It is nice to meet you, Professor," the black haired boy said as he walked over to the camera. He then returned Eevee to its Pokeball saying sadly, "Please look after him."

"Of course I will," the white-haired Professor smiled. "This would be a great opportunity to witness how Eevee evolves in different conditions."

* * *

Later that day, Ash ends his training session on a good note. Clefairy had learned the move moon blast on top of its known moves metronome and disarming voice.

The black haired boy then rushed over to his mum's friends house in order to look after a Pokemon whilst he was out. This house looked similar to Ash's but instead of being painted white it was a daffodil yellow with a slightly larger garden. In the garden, many flowers bloomed. Roses both red and white planted at every corner, carnations sat happily in their beds in the centre, Iris', freesia and Petunias also grew in this garden.

Knocking on the door, Ash waited patiently for the middle aged man to pull it open. When he did the black-haired boy saw , he was new to the town, arriving just after Ash left on his journey. His dark blonde hair, which the boy's mum said was usually sticking up at all ends, was now neatly combed back. His pale blue eyes shined with knowledge.

"Ash," the man greeted with a smile that made his eyes sparkle.

"Hi ," the black haired boy addressed the man in front of him.

"Thank you for your help," the dark blonde haired man continued as he stepped aside to let the boy into his house. "Pichu hasn't been feeling very well lately and I didn't want to bring her out."

"That's okay, I am happy to help," the boy responded.

Inside the house beside the entry way was a rabbit's foot fern. It sat on a chest of drawers facing a small staircase leading upstairs to the bedrooms. Straight ahead was a doorway leading to the conjoined living room and kitchen similar to what Ash's house was laid out.

"Just let her rest and wake her up only for meals and to take her medician," Mr Dimare said as he indicated to the small yellow Pokemon lying on the sofa.

Pichu's face was flushed red and its skin burned. Its cheeks let out crackling electricity in the form of static that caused Pikachu to perk up his ears and jump from Ash's shoulder.

The yellow mouse Pokemon prodded at its pre-evolve form's face in confusion.

"Pikachu, be careful," the black haired boy told his Pokemon and then turned to his mum's friend. "Don't worry, leave everything to me."

The blonde haired man smiled and left the boy, trusting him to take care of his sick Pokemon. After his wife passed away, Pichu was the only thing he had left of her. The electric Pokemon use to be her and he could not bare to lose it as well.

"Pika pi," Ash's electric Pokemon said shaking the small mouse Pokemon.

"Pikachu, stop that, you will wake her up," Ash told his Pokemon. "Stop!"

Suddenly, the Pichu shifted and sat up, looking around drowsily.

"Now look what you've done," Ash said rubbing his hands down his face.

Pikachu then leapt from the sofa and ran over to Ash, grabbing the boys red Pokedex. The yellow mouse Pokemon then flipped the device open and pressed a button.

 **"Electrical overcharging,"** the mechanical voice of Dexter said. **"This condition is known to affect electric type Pokemon, although Magnemite and its evolutions appear to be immune to it. The Pokemon starts off by exhibiting flu-like symptoms and as electrical energy continues to build they become aggressive ad dangerous."**

"Of course," Ash said in realisation. "It is just like when you were ill Pikachu."

"Pika," the yellow mouse Pokemon nodded.

"Pichu," Ash then turned to the small yellow Pokemon. "I want you to use you thunder shock on Pikachu. Pikachu, try and absorb as much of it as you can. At first, it may hurt because your body is not used to the high voltage, but it will get better."

"Pi!" "Pika." Both Pokemon nodded their acceptance of the orders.

Ash soon found himself staring into the bright light of Pikachu's thunder, watching as it swallowed Pikachu whole, causing Ash's Pokemon a great deal of pain to being with.

When the tiny electric mouse stopped its attack it jumped from the sofa fall of energy. It felt much lighter and cooler than it did a moment ago. There was no more pressure building up in its body, burning it inside out.

"Pi pi, Pichu," it said chatting merrily with Ash and Togepi.

Pikachu ran over to Ash feeling stronger than it ever had been before. He flexed his barely visible muscles at his owner to prove his point. Pichu's thunder shock had completely energised and powered up the electric type. Maybe even enough to perfect Iron tail.

* * *

Later that night, when Mr Dimare and his daughter returned the two were surprised when they were met with Pichu bouncing into their arms. The middle-aged man laughed cheerfully at seeing his wife's Pokemon so full of life again.

"Ash, how did you do it?" the blonde haired man asked.

"Pikachu realised that Pichu was only suffering from overcharge, so I had it use a thunder attack," the boy explained appearing in the entry way.

His daughter shyly blushed at the black haired boy in front of her, ducking under her father's arm to hide behind his back.

"Sorry," apologised looking from his daughter to Ash. "Louise is very timid."

"That's okay," Ash smiled and tilted his head to try and get a better look at the girl. "It's your birthday today, isn't it?"

The girls face went from rosy pink to crimson red at the boy's attention causing her father to laugh harder. His daughter got flustered and embarrassed very easily. She had always been shy but every since his wife died she a becomes even more so.

"Hey, Ash, Louise will be going on her journey soon. So how about you show her your Pokemon," the blonde haired man recommended. "It could be her birthday present from you."

"Yeah, sure," the black haired trainer agreed. "I go there every morning to train them." The boy then looked back at the shy girl still hidden beyond his view. "If it's okay, you can look after Togepi while I train Espeon tomorrow."

The eleven-year-old girl nodded against her father's back, forcing the man to translate her agreement to the boy as the gesture could not be seen. "It's a plan then!" Mr Dimare cheered. "Is seven in the morning okay?"

"It's fine for me," Ash said. "See you tomorrow." With that said, the black haired trainer left the house, leaving the shy girl to relax.

"Off to bed now, Louise," the girl's father ushered her up the wooden stairs.

* * *

The next day found Ash standing outside the Dimare residence, knocking on the door. It was the father who answered with Pichu on his head.

"Hello, Ash, your right on time," Mr Dimare said. The man then shoved a light pink bag into the black haired boy's hands saying, "I packed some lunch for you two. Do you like ham and cheese because that is all Louise eats? I also cut the crust off. When she was a kid she used to hate-"

"Dad," came a quiet whine from the staircase.

Ash turned to see the eleven-year-old girl. She had long blonde hair reaching to her thighs and ice blue eyes like her father. She wore a pale pink dress with white knee length leggings.

"Let's go!" Ash cheered.

Louise did not have a chance to say goodbye to her father before the black haired boy grabbed her hand and dragged her out of the house, shouting his own goodbye whilst half way down the street. The blonde haired girl glanced down at the hand holding hers. It was large and rough compared to her small and dainty one, but, then again, her fathers were even larger. Feeling her face burn red with embarrassment at her thoughts, the girl quickly looked away searching for something else to focus on.

The two ran to Professor Oak's lab, Ash with Pikachu on his shoulder and Togepi clutched in his left arm as he pulled Louise with his right.

Upon arriving at the lab, Ash continued to show off all of his Pokemon to the blonde haired girl and then handed Togepi to her. He trainer for hours, Louise watching tentatively until lunch. The eleven-year-old then blush furiously as he collapsed on the blanket beside her.

"So, what type of Pokemon trainer do you want to become," Ash asked trying to start up a conversation with the silent girl.

The girl looked like she was considering the question for a moment and then shrugged her shoulder, flushing a deep red.

"That's okay, you will figure it out one day," Ash reassured her. "You could always spend the first year catching Pokemon for your team like I did."

Louise tilted her head thinking through the suggestion, nodding her acceptance. It was a good idea and she may find inspiration as she goes.

"That's great," the black-haired boy nodded and began to dish out the sandwiches Louise's father had prepared for them. "Hey, I know!" Ash suddenly said. "You can travel with me."

Louise started at the black haired boy, embarrassed yet grateful that he had offered. The truth was that she is extremely nervous about travelling on her own and felt her stomach twist in knots at the thought of starting her journey at the end of the month. The blonde haired girl didn't know anyone who was willing to go with her, though. She had been too shy to make friends at school and, so she ended up alone.

"Really," the girl said flushing as she spoke to the boy for the girl time.

"Sure, it will be great to have someone with me who can form words that I understand," the black haired boy commented matter-of-factly staring at his Pikachu who pretended to take offence, causing Louise to smile at the pair. "Have you decided on which starter Pokemon you want?"

"No," Louise said shaking her head, enjoying being able to talk to the boy with increasing comfort. Usually, the words would get stuck in her throat and the girl would decide that is was better to keep them in than to make a fool of herself trying to push them out.

"Then why don't you battle with my Charmander, Squirtle and Bulbasaur. Then you can decide what type you prefer," Ash recommended and then turned to look at his three starter Pokemon who were eating their lunch as well. "You guys don't mind, do you?"

As Ash's Pokemon all nodded their heads in agreement not minding following the blue eyed girls commands for the training session.

Louise smiled, more confident than she had ever been before around someone who wasn't her father. She then turned to Ash, "Are you sure?" They are your Pokemon."

"I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't. Come on, Espeon can look after Togepi this time," Ash replied offering his hand to the girl.

Blushing slightly, but not from embarrassment, Louise placed her hand in his and allowed Ash to pulled her to her feet.

"Now listen closely," Ash began. "When you get any Pokemon be sure to scan then with the Pokedex. If you have captured it then it will tell you the Pokemon's moves and gender."

Louise nodded at the black haired boy, absorbing all the attacks that Ash's three Pokemon could use. A strange bubbly feeling twisted in her stomach as the blonde haired girl rocked back and forth on her feet. She was excited. She was allowed to participate in a Pokemon battle for the first time in her life.

Ash and Louise soon stood a distance away from each other, Louise with Squirtle, Bulbasaur and Charmander to her side and Ash with his own fire type, Ponyta, grass type, Tangela and water type, Poliwag. Just to make the battle fair.

"I choose Poliwag," Ash called as the tadpole Pokemon positioned itself in front of Ash.

Louise stood there trying to recall what her father had told her about Pokemon types. "Then...um," she said flustered. Then she remembered, "Oh, I choose Bulbasaur."

Ash nodded his approval and then said, "You go first."

Louise took a deep breath allowing her mind to run through all of the grass type Pokemon's attacks. "Bulbasaur, use razor leaf."

As sharp green leaves sliced through the air towards Poliwag, Ash shouted, "Dodge and use bubble."

Small silver bubbles flew out of Poilwags mouth towards Bulbasaur, causing Louise to panic. At this point, she was not sure what to do, so she mimicked Ash's order saying, "Dodge and use tackle."

To the blonde haired girl's relief, Bulbasaur jumped out of the way and ploughed into the water type Pokemon sending it flying back.

"Double slap, Poliwag," Ash told his Pokemon who they used its tail to slap Bulbasaur across the face again and again. "Good, now finish off with Bubble."

"Oh no, Bulbasaur," Louise said as her temporary grass Pokemon fell unconscious.

"That's okay, Louise," Ash reassured her. "Call in another Pokemon."

With Bulbasaur safely back at Louise's side, the blonde haired girl then called out Squirtle.

"Now, it's my turn. Poliwag, use dig followed by double slap," Ash commanded.

As Poliwag disappeared underground, Louise frantically searched her mind. What should she do in a situation like this? However, it was too later to come up with a solution as Poliwag leapt out from the ground in front of Squirtle slapping it with her tail.

"Squirtle, quick use water gun and then tackle," she said.

The power of the water gun attack pushed Poliwag off of Squirtle allowing it to carry out a tackle attack.

Poliwag was defeated.

"Good idea," Ash said to the soon-to-be trainer. "Tangela, I choose you."

After scanning this Pokemon a few days ago, Ash knew that he knew the moves constrict and sleep powder.

"Tangela, constrict," Ash said.

The grass type Pokemon then reached out to grab the Squirtle with its blue vines, squeezing as tight as he could.

"Squirtle, try to get out," Louise said. However, no matter how much the water type Pokemon wriggled he could not escape.

"Now, sleep powder," the black haired boy ordered.

Squirtle was down for the count.

"Charmander, it looks like you are up," Louise turned to the organ fire type Pokemon.

"Tangela, return," Ash ordered his grass type."Ponyta, go."

Now it was a face-off between two fire types.

"Charmander, um..." Louise said trying to remember one of its attacks. "Use flamethrower."

"Dodge and use tackle."

The fire horse Pokemon leapt from side to side avoiding the funnel of flames easily with its speed. It then charged towards Charmander knocking it onto the ground.

"Now, use fire spin," Ash commanded.

Yellow and red fire shot from Ponyta's mouth circling around the Charmander. The flames then crashed together sending a tornado of fire into the sky.

"Charmander!" Louise shouted and ran towards the fire type Pokemon. However, she froze as the lizard Pokemon was engulfed in white light. "Ash what's happening?"

The black haired boy smiled and said, "Do not worry, Charmander is evolving into Charmeleon."

Louise flushed in embarrassment, looking back at where Charmander had stood only to find Charmeleon in its place.

This Pokemon sent shivers down her spine. With crimson scales and a cream underside, it looked more reptilian than its pre-evolved form. It had a horn-like protrusion on its head, narrow green eyes and a long snout.

Ash then flipped open his Pokedex and listened as it said, **"Charmeleon, the flame Pokemon and the evolved form of Charmander. When it swings its tail, it evaluates the temperature to unbearably high levels. This Charmeleon is male and has the ability blaze. Known moves are ember, scratch, smokescreen and fire fang."**

"So," Ash asked. "Have you decided who you want."

Louise nodded and said, "I think I am going to choose Squirtle."


	25. Chapter 25: Dratini (1)

**"You don't think it's possible?" he asked, shocked like I was a five-year-old telling him I didn't believe in Santa Claus. - Bewitching the Werewolf by Caroline Hanson.**

 **1)Pikachu - Male - Electric -** _ **Growl, Thundershock, Quick attack, Tail whip, Agility, Shockwave, Iron tail**_

 **2) Pidgeotto - Female - Flying, Normal -** _ **Tackle, Sand attack, Cross/wind cutter, Agility, Quick attack**_

 **3) Raticate - Female - Normal -** _ **Tackle, Tail whip, Quick attack, Hyper fang, Bite**_

 **4) Mankey - Male - Fighting -** _ **Focus blast, Leer, Low kick, Scratch, Fiery swipes**_

 **5) Oddish - Male - Grass, poison -** _ **Absorb, Endure, Tackle, Stun spore, Poison powder**_

 **6) Butterfree - Male -Bug -** _ **Poison powder, Gust, Sleep powder, Confusion**_

 **7) Rhyhorn - Female - Ground, Rock -** _ **Horn attack, Fury attack, Scary face, Stomp, Shockwave**_

 **8) Golbat - Female - Poison, Flying -** _ **Supersonic, Bite, Air Slash, Poison Fang**_

 **9) Poliwag - Female - Water -** _ **Water gun, Dig, Double slap, Bubble**_

 **10) Shiny Gyarados - Female - Water -** _ **Thrash, Hydro pump**_

 **11) Bulbasaur - Male - Grass, Poison -** _ **Vine whip, Growl, Tackle, Razor leaf**_

 **12) Charmeleon - Male - Fire -** _ **Scratch, Fire fang, Ember, Smokescreen**_

 **13) Squirtle - Male - Water -** _ **Tackle, Water gun, Withdraw**_

 **14) Seadra - Male - Water -** _ **Smokescreen, Leer, Bubble, Hydro pump**_

 **15) Bellsprout - Female - Grass, Poison -** _ **Vine whip, Wrap, Poison powder, Razor leaf**_

 **16) Gastly - Male - Ghost, Poison -** _ **Lick, Spite, Confuse ray, Stucker punch**_

 **17) Parasect - Male - Bug, Grass -** _ **Poison powder, Stun spore, Leech life, Fury cutter**_

 **18)Nidorina - Female - Poison -** _ **Poison sting, horn attack, double kick, Fury attack**_

 **19)Muk - Male - Poison -** _ **Poison gas, Mud-slap, Sludge**_

 **20) Magnemite - N/A - Electric, Steel -** _ **Thundershock, Sonic boom, Thunder wave, Magnet bomb**_

 **21) Dugtrio - Male - Ground -** _ **Dig, Sand attack, Tri attack**_

 **22) Ponyta - Female - Fire -** _ **Tackle, Flame wheel, Stomp, Fire spin**_

 **23) Espeon - Female - Psychic -** _ **Tackle, Quick attack, Swift, Confusion, Psybeam**_

 **24) Eevee - Male - Normal -** _ **Sand attack, Quick attack, Bite, Takedown**_

 **25) Eevee - Male - Normal**

 **26) Eevee - Male**

 **27) Brave Eevee - Male**

 **28) Snorlax - Male - Normal -** _ **Belch, Chip away, Body slam, Rollout**_

 **29) Jigglypuff - Female - Normal, Fairy -** _ **Sing, Double slap, Roll**_

 **30) Venomoth - Male - Poison, Bug -** _ **Supersonic, Tackle, Silver wind, Psybeam**_

 **31) Togepi - Female - Fairy**

 **32) Spearow - Flying, Normal**

 **33) Clefairy - Female - Fairy -** _ **Moon blast, Metronome, Pound**_

 **34) Tangela - Male - Grass -** _ **Constrict, Sleep powder**_

 **35) Dratini - Male - Water, Dragon**

* * *

 **Chapter 25**

Louise sat in Professor Oaks lab watching as Eevee evolved into Umbreon. It was truly an amazing sight and she was so glad that he dad had let her come, despite the fact that it was the middle of the night. He had a sleek black body with four slender legs and crimson eyes. There were two pairs of pointed teeth visible when its mouth is open, one in the upper jaw and one in the lower. Umbreon also has long pointed ears and a bushy tail, each with a yellow band around them.

The blonde haired girl then listened in as Ash scanned the dark Pokemon with his red Pokedex.

 **"Umbreon, the moonlight Pokemon. When agitated it protects itself by spraying sweat from its pores. This Umbreon is male and knows the moves tackle, pursuit and confuse ray."**

"This is going to be great," Ash trembled with excitement.

The blonde haired soon-to-be trainer smiled at the boy. He looked so happy with his Pokemon. It was clear that as they grew stronger, Ash did so as well. Stretching, Louise handed Togepi back to Ash, who smiled and told her goodnight.

Ever since Ash had looked after Pichu, the girl had spent every day with the black haired boy. It was because of him that she had more confidence, at least when he was around anyway, and knew what starter she wanted.

After waving goodnight and returning home, the black haired girl waited impatiently for tomorrow. Tomorrow, when the Indigo League would start. The Ketchum's had invited the Dimare family to their house where they would watch the battle. Ash said that it was research, just in case the same trainer battled next year as well.

On the other hand, Ash fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow. Not even bothering to change into his bedclothes. It was there that his mum found him about an hour later, smiling as she removed his shoes, socks and cap.

* * *

The group of four plus Pichu, Pikachu and Mr Mime all watched the television with fascination. The opening ceremony started with the releasing of Pidgey as the competitors walked into the stadium. The central touch was lit causing excitement to spread across the crowd.

"... Right now the trainers are about to find out who they will be battling," a female announcer said. "And then their battleground will be randomly selected between four different types: water, ice, ground and grass."

Battles were spread out across the day. The first battle was on the ground field where Gary won using his Nidoking. Ash watched as the TV reporter questioned the grandson of Professor Oak about his victory.

"Well, naturally, winning your first battle is always important," Gary said smugly. "Of course, in every Pokemon match there has to be a winner and a loser and the trainers I know are real losers."

Ash gritted his teeth as he heard this. Wasn't it Gary who almost lost to him when they last battled. Honestly, with a personality like that , Ash had to wonder how the brown-haired boy had any friends or fans.

Louise shook her head at the TV screen. She had seen him parade around Pallet Town thinking he was better than anyone else. If he wins the Indigo League then she knew she would never be able to hear the end of it.

The next battle was on the water field. The green trainer was battling with a Squirtle and the red trainer was battling with an Eggegutor. If Eggegutor looses then the green trainer will win the match.

A short while later, Ash and the others watched as Eggegutor was unable to battle allowing the green trainer, Mike Dobes to proceed to the next stage. Mandy, the red trainer was sent packing.

"Lunch time," Delia Ketchum said as she brought in a tray of sandwiches.

Ash, Louise and Mr Dimare (who had now insisted that everyone call him Sam) carefully selected their food and sat back on the sofas to watch the next battle.

"Who do you think will win?" Ash asked Louise.

"The trainer on the red platform," the blonde haired girl responded in a whisper blushing when Ash's mother turned her way. While she had grown comfortable with the black haired boy, strangers still made her feel nervous and uneasy.

"Me too," Ash nodded in agreement and turned back to the battle on the ground field. The pair didn't even notice the look their parents gave each other as if they were saying, 'See I knew they would like each other'.

Each of the trainers only had one Pokemon left: the red trainer had a Nidorino, whilst the green trainer had a Squirtle. The battle ended with Squirtle being defeated and the green trainer going home.

On the ice field, the green and red trainers had two Pokemon each, with Krabby and Cloyster in battle. The Cloyster won after hitting Krabby with a tackle attack, causing its trainer a return it and bring a replacement onto the field. The replacement came in the form of Slowpoke. This Pokemon, however, was defeated quickly. Probably due to the fact that it did not have much battling experience to start with.

Gary, unfortunately, lost in his fourth battle in the grass field. His Nidoking getting knocked out by the green trainers Golem. Secretly, Ash and Louise sighed in relief knowing that the brown haired boy would have nothing to brag about when he returned. After all, the boy did not even get to the semi-finals, nor the quatre finals.

"Right, time for bed," Ash's mum announced clapping her hands together.

"But mum," Ashe whined. "There are only three more battled left!"

"Yes, but you, young man, promised to meet Professor Oak in the morning so that you can train Dratini."

"Oh yeah, Ash said glumly. In truth, he wasn't looking forward to meeting the blue dragon Pokemon. He didn't want to get attached to it if it decided to leave.

* * *

In Professor Oak's lab, the was a small medical room, where ill Pokemon are treated. The walls were painted ghost white with Maya blue curtains covering the windows. Stainless steel furniture was scattered around. With shiny steel drawers, which contained medical supplies, and a steel table with Pokemon food sitting on top. The last steel furniture piece was pushed against the far wall. A bed.

On the bed lay the blue and white serpent-like Pokemon that Ash had captured on Cinnabar Island. It was staring blankly at the window, breathing slowly as if mesmerised by the sunlight trying to break through the curtains. The poor Pokemon looked like it hand given up on life.

"Hey, Dratini," Ash said quietly, "Are you feeling better?"

The Dratini flicked its eyes before turning them back to the window. It didn't care for the black haired boy now in front of it. Humans were untrustworthy and the cause of its pain at this moment, both physical and emotional.

"Look," Ash sighed. "I know I caught you unfairly. You probably wanted to stay free in the wild, right?"

Dratini still ignored the boy, sighing at his words before rolling over to face the wall. Yes, it wanted to be free. Away from all humans.

"If you want I will release you back into the wild? As soon as I go back to Cinnabar Island where I found you, I will release you," Ash told the Pokemon but no response came. No movement, no nothing.

"Professor Oak said you can go out with the other Pokemon. Your injuries are almost completely healed," Ash informed the blue Pokemon. "I will come by later."

The black haired boy then ran his hand through his hair in frustration. What was he going to do with this Pokemon?

* * *

Meanwhile, a man was lurking in the shadows with only his pale face and sunglasses to be seen as it reflected the sun.

He had been following the black haired boy for quite some time now, ever since he had witnessed him catch the rare Dratini Pokemon. The man in the shadows was cursing himself for losing the Pokemon, however, was lucky that the injury that it had sustained from battling with him had slowed its progress whilst escaping. Although, unlucky in the fact that a child found and Dratini before him.

This time, though, the dragon Pokemon was his.

* * *

Out in Professor Oaks water Pokemon enclosure, the Dratini refused to allow itself to feel comfortable. After all, it knew humans had a way of disturbing the peace, not matter where it was.

The water area that the snake-like Pokemon was in had trees scattered around a large lake that went about fifteen meters deep. The water was crystal blue, fresher and cleaner than any lake in the wild. Many Pokemon such as Goldeen and Horsea played, splashing in the water, while others bathed on slabs of rock or small mud Islands in the sun.

Dratini was one of the Pokemon that was enjoying the heat of the sun, and it was there that one of Ash's Pokemon recognised the water type that its owner had caught. Ponyta had not stopped talking about it.

Squirtle had been watching the skittish and uptight Pokemon cautiously glance through the area as if waiting for an attack at any moment. Taking pity on the Dratini, he decided to introduce himself to the new Pokemon.

The two Pokemon talked, Dratini reluctantly at first, about themselves and, more importantly, their past. Squirtle shared with the dragon Pokemon that he had once been abandoned by his trainer for being weak and not evolving fast enough. The tiny turtle Pokemon then told the blue serpent-like Pokemon of how he met Ash and why he decided to join the black haired boy and his Pikachu.

They story had been heard by many other Pokemon, including Ash's Charmeleon and Bulbasaur, who wondered freely between different areas of Professor Oak's lab. The fire type and grass type each told similar stories: stories of neglect and abandonment in which Ash had saved them. These three Pokemon felt that they were indebted to the black haired trainer. They cared for the boy.

It was then that more and more of Ash's Pokemon came forward: Ponyta, who was saved by Ash from being forcefully captured in the Safari Zone. Clefairy and Tangela who were left on the side if the road by their previous trainer and were brought back together by the boy. It seemed the black haired trainer had become a salvation for all of the neglected and abandoned Pokemon he came across.

Ash's Pokemon then left the Dratini to think. Like all of them the dragon Pokemon had to make its own decision about the black haired boy. It had to think about what was best for it. To stay or to be released. They just hoped that it released sooner rather than later that it was a privilege to have a trainer truly care and protect their Pokemon.

* * *

It was past lunch time when Ash returned to Professor Oak's lab alone. The boy had considered bringing Louise with him but decided against it. Dratini was already uncomfortable around humans and the boy did not think bringing another one with him was a good idea. Pikachu had not wanted to go, so the boy left his electric mouse Pokemon at home watching TV.

Ash walked across the grass area towards the water area, where Professor Oak had told the boy to go. It was there that he came across his Oddish who was skipping through the green land. The poison and grass type Pokemon soon recognised Ash and ran over to the boy who crouched to his knees.

"Hi, Oddish," the black haired boy greeted the weed Pokemon.

The purple Pokemon rubbed its face against Ash, happily greeting its owner in its own way.

"I am going to the water enclosure. Do you want to come?" Ash asked his Pokemon.

"Odd, Oddish," the Pokemon jumped up and down, then ran off to the water area.

"Hey, wait for me," Ash called.

They boy and the Pokemon raced toward the place where Dratini was deep in thought. Rolling with the idea of staying with Ash or leaving on its own.

"Dratini," Ash shouted waving st the blue serpent Pokemon as Oddish continued to run a little bit ahead of the boy.

Dratini signed and looked at the trainer heading towards it. What did he want now?

Suddenly, a thin metal wire shot down towards the dragon Pokemon wrapping tightly around it, digging into the Pokemon's skin. Dratini cried out in pain and fear, the hunter had found it.

"Dratini!" Ash exclaimed as he saw the thin metal vines grip onto the blue Pokemon, yanking it towards the fence boardering Professor Oak's lab. "No!"


	26. Chapter 26: Dratini (2)

**The world was a terrible place, cruel, pitiless, dark as a bad dream. Not a good place to live. Only in books could you find pity, comfort, happiness - and love. Books loved anyone who opened them, they gave you security and friendship and didn't ask anything in return; they never went away, never, not even when you treated them badly."**

 **\- Cornelia Funke, The Inkheart Trilogy: Inkheart, Inkspell, Inkdeath**

* * *

 **Hey, guys, I have had some people comment about me saying that Dratini was a water type in one of my chapters. That is because I was writing from Ash's point of view and since he did not know what the Pokemon was it is fair for him to assume that it is a water type. My exact wording was: With a white underside and white, three-pronged fins on the side of its head, it looked like a water type to Ash, but looks can be deceiving. _However,_ if the is another error that mentions Dratini being a water type I apologise and say that you are going to have to be more specific on where that error is.**

 **Also, just because I state that Butterfree is a normal type in a sentence and not mention that it is also a flying type does not mean that I do not know the fact, it just means that I am stating the Pokemon's relevant characteristic at the time. If you go back and read I am sure I have written about Pokemon with dual types in a similar manner.**

 **Finally, I apologise for being so defensive, but I would find it incredibly annoying if I had to continually state that Butterfree was a flying and normal types or Oddish was a poison and grass type all the time when you as the readers most definitely already know that.**

* * *

 **Chapter 26**

From the direction the Dragon Pokemon was being pulled, a deep unsettling laughter echoed through the air. It rippled through the blue Pokemon's body as the memory of this person stealing it from its home became all too clear. The Pokemon recalled how the man had collapsed the caves that they lived in, trapping its sisters and parents inside. It remembered the hopeless feeling when the large had wrapped around its body and slammed it into the ocean bed. The Pokemon sagged in defeat, it was caught once again.

Standing on top of the wooden fence was a green haired man with pale white skin. He wore dark shades over his eyes and a black trench coat. Nothing about the man was recognised able to Ash, so the boy was sure that he was not someone he had came across before. He also did not have an 'R' anywhere on his uniform meaning that he was not a member of Team Rocket.

"Stop," Ash shouted after the man. "Oddish help me try and get Dratini back."

The purple weed Pokemon tried to break through the metal wire as it hopped onto the Dratini's larger body, even going as far as to chew at the strong cable. However, the grass and poison Pokemon did not have attacks that could slice it open.

"Squirtle, squirt," the tiny turtle Pokemon shouted as it ran behind Ash who was slowly catching up to the Dratini being kidnapped by the green haired Pokemon hunter.

Squirtle attempted to use its water gun, however, the attack fell short due to the distance between the hunter and the turtle Pokemon.

"It's not working," Ash shouted at his Pokemon. "Dratini, try to use one of your attacks on the wire!"

The dragon Pokemon struggled to get free, wriggling as much as it could, not knowing what else to do. The only attacks it knew required being able to open its mouth and that was sealed shut but the thin metal wires.

Ash suddenly gasped as his Oddish, feeling helpless as it was unable to aid the Pokemon, evolved into Gloom. It had orange leaves and a reddish-brown flower growing from its head. The flower has large, rounded petals and white spots. It was great that his Pokemon had evolved, however, this was not the time to be able to scan it with his Pokedex and find out what moves it has.

While Oddish evolved, the Pokemon hunter had managed to get his hands on Dratini and was turning to flee. The dragon Pokemon cried out again as the metal wires were pushed deeper into its skin, breaking through and causing blood to dribble across its body due to the man's rough handling.

Gloom, Ash and Squirtle jumped over the fence, following close behind. The black haired boy now wished that he had kept his five Pokeballs with him instead of giving them to Professor Oak so that they could stay in the lab. However, at the time it seemed like a good idea to keep all his Pokemon (except Pikachu) with the old man.

"Gloom, do you have an attack to slice through the wires," Ash said. "Like sword dance, petal blizzard, anything!"

"Gloom," the weed Pokemon nodded and stopped running. Then from the red flower on top of the grass Pokemon's head, it released pink sakura petals that swirled around Ash's Pokemon before shooting them at the hunter.

To Ash's relief, the wire cable broke away from Dratini, however, it also sliced the Pokemon hunter.

"Ah!" the hunter shouted dropping the rare dragon Pokemon onto the ground as he wrapped his lift hand around his right wrist, which now sported a red slash that had ripped open the man's vein. The hunter's crimson blood coloured the grass beneath his feet as he cradled the wound to his chest. "You damn brat, you have ruined everything," the hunter said.

"I would apologise, but you're not worth it," Ash shouted coldly back at the man.

"This Dratini is mine. I dived into the depths of the Cinnabar Ocean to catch it and then it escaped and you came across it," the hunter sneered.

"So, I won't let you get Dratini," Ash told the green haired man. "Everyone attack!"

Squirtle sent his water gun towards the hunter as Gloom released a cloud of stun spore his way. Even Dratini attacked the green haired man with its ice beam. The result of these attacks froze the man solid and threw him up into the air, getting rid of the hunter Team Rocket style.

* * *

With everyone back at Professor Oaks lab, Dratini was getting treated by the grey haired man once again. Thankfully, the dragon Pokemon's injuries were not severe and only required a spray of antibacterial potion and to be covered with a bandage.

"Okay, let's see what Dexter has to say about you," Ash said to Gloom as he pulled out his Pokedex.

 **"Gloom, the weed Pokemon. The fluid that oozes from its mouth isn't drooling. It is a nectar that is used to attack prey. The Gloom is male and knows the moves absorb, petal dance, stun spore and poison powder."**

Dratini watched the Pokemon and its owner longingly. Maybe having a trainer was a good thing? After all, if Ash had not caught it and brought it to the lab then the Pokemon hunter would have found it, and if the boy had not rescued it when it had not been able to save itself then it would be back in that man's clutches.

"Dra, Dratini," the Dragon Pokemon said from the stainless steel bed.

"What is it, Dratini?" Ash asked, but the Pokemon just kept muttering and weaving its snake-like head.

"Why Ash, I think Dratini want you to scan it as well," the old Professor said as he began to pack the potions and bandages away.

"Dratini," the blue Pokemon nodded its head.

"Oh, Okay," the black haired trainer said and then began to approach the Pokemon, Pokedex in hand.

 **"Dratini," Dexter's robotic voice told the boy. "Long considered a mythical Pokemon until recently when a small colony was found living underwater. This Dratini is male and knows the moves dragon pulse, ice beam and wrap."**

"That is awesome," Ash smiled at the Pokemon. "Does that mean you want to stay with us?"

"Dratini," the dragon Pokemon nodded again staring up at Ash with a sparkle in its eyes.

"Well, congratulations Ash," Professor Oak said. "You have yourself a Dratini."

"Thanks, Professor," Ash smiled and patted the Pokemon's head. Although, the black haired boy froze for a moment. Had he just heard the old man giggling about an interesting Pokemon to study?

* * *

Back at Ash's house, the Indigo League was once again playing on TV. With Delia Ketchum, Louise and Sam Dimare sat around the screen. Sandwiches rested on the table with a jug of ice water and four glasses.

The black haired boy made it just in time to watch the quarter finals according to the news reporter's announcement. So, after a tiring day the trainer collapsed onto the seat beside Louise and Pikachu jumped onto his lap. Togepi had been left with Espeon for a while and Ash had decided that one more night could not hurt. Anyway, the psychic type Pokemon had quickly picked up its nurturing role towards the baby Pokemon again.

The match against two of the quatre finalists started with the red trainer calling out his Butterfree whilst the green trainer called out his Squirtle. Each Pokemon traded blow after blow, tackling each other, but neither gave in despite the fact that they were becoming even more exhausted with every hit and counter attack.

As Ash watched he scratched Pikachu's ear mindlessly causing the yellow mouse Pokemon to release a 'chaa' of content. The black haired boy then smiled down at his Pokemon and glanced towards Louise . The blonde haired girl flushed bright red at being caught watching the boy.

Ash's attention then turned back to the TV as the red trainer called for his Pokemon to use sleeping powder, causing Squirtle to fall on its back snoring - rather loudly. Butterfree was the winner of the first round.

The green trainer then called out his Raichu, who charged onto the field. It immediately tackled the Butterfree causing the crowd to go wild, screaming and shouting approval of the new Pokemon. Raichu then finished the Butterfree off with a very powerful thundershock.

Calling out his Charmander, the red trainer ordered it to use flameflower. The electric mouse Pokemon soon yielded to exhaustion after dodging the fire types attack repeatedly. So when Charmander tackled Raichu and followed with headbutt the poor Pokemon was out of the match.

The Charmander was soon defeated by the green trainers Sandshrew, another mouse Pokemon.

It was then that the red trainer called out his own Squirtle. Sandshrew started off with Sand-attack, which was negated by the water type Pokemon who drew into his shell. The green trainer and his Pokemon then attacked with poison string which Squirtle dodged and then counteracted with a water gun.

The match grew more and more interesting as each Pokemon fought tooth and nail, both trainers down to their last. Ash watched intently knowing both trainers will be battling for next year.

In the end, it was the red trainer who won, as the type advantage played its role. However, the respect between the two trainers was amazing.

The red trainer then went to fight in the semi-finals where the battles became six on six. The first trainer used a Pikachu, Butterfree, Charmander, Munchlax, Squirtle and Spearow. Whereas the second trainer, the green trainer, used Rhyhorn, Venomoth, Tentacool, Ivysaur, Mankey and Nidoran.

The match was down to one on one, with the male red trainer using his Pikachu and the female green trainer using her Ivysaur. However, this match was very one sided as the grass type was fairly resistant to electric type moves.

It was Ivysaur's solar beam that defeated the Pikachu in the end. The match was over and the semi-finals were between the female green trainer and a male red trainer.

Ash, Louise, Delia and Sam watched as the male trainer completely defeated the female using only one Pokemon, a Magmar. That was the person that the black haired boy aimed to defeat because there was a high probability that Ash would have to battle the man next year.

"Alright, I am so pumped. Starting tomorrow we are going to train harder Pikachu," Ash shouted as he jumped from the sofa.

Everyone around the black haired boy laughed at his enthusiasm, however, had no doubt that Ash would do his very best no matter what odds he was up against. That was the type of person he was.

* * *

 **Sorry for the short chapter, but I will definitely be able to make it up to you in the next update, which will be when Ash starts his journey to challenge all of the gyms.**

 **I would also like to say that since I have written up to chapter 31, I am going to wait for at least 10 reviews before I post up the next chapter. This will give me a publishing schedule (in a way) but also allows for you guys to control when a new chapter comes up ;-) It is also great fun reading what you guys write!**


	27. Chapter 27: Indigo League: The First Gym

**I wish I could pick you up and tell you that it will be okay, that's what parents are supposed to do. There not suppose to be the cause of your pain, they're supposed to make it go away. They are supposed to hold you and tell you everything is going to be alright. Theirs suppose to tell you thunder is angels bowling, that it's okay to be afraid of the dark and that it's not silly to think that there might be monsters in your closet and that its okay if you want to climb into bed with them just this once cause its scary in the room all alone... They're supposed to say it's okay to be afraid and not be the thing you're afraid of... But most importantly their suppose to love you no matter what.**

 **-JJ from Criminal minds**

* * *

 **Responses to reviews:**

 ***cruzcartoon: No, Ash will not be training as much he will be going straight to gym battles. After all, last year all he did was train.**

 ***spoookdoder: I will definitely follow your advice. Let me know how you feel about the quality of this chapter.**

 ***TrueMaster: No, Ash's Pikachu will not be evolved, for the same reasons that it did not evolve in the anime.**

 ***storyreader21: I would like to say that I am preparing some sort of relationship with Louise and Ash. However, I am wavering between brother and sister (where Delia marries Sam) just because I like the thought of Ash being an overprotective big brother or Ash/Louise.**

 **Elven reviews later, you get:**

* * *

 **Chapter 27**

The Indigo League was now officially over and Pokemon gyms were now inviting the next year's trainers to battle and earn badges. Ash was excited to get started, but first, he had to tie up loose ends in Pallet Town. The first thing on his list was to collect his Eevee who had now evolved into Glaceon.

"Hi, Professor Rowan," Ash greeted the man over the videophone in Professor Oak's lab.

The man that appeared on the screen wore a brown coat and tie. He has white hair and a white moustache, wearing dark brown pants and a blue suit vest with yellow buttons leading under his long coat. He carried a brownish orange suitcase with him which was now sitting on the desk beside the videophone.

"Hello, Ash," the Professor said. "I take it you are calling me about your Glaceon."

"That's right sir," Ash nodded. "Professor Oak told me he evolved a few days ago."

The old white-haired man smiled at Ash and said, "Indeed you Pokemon evolved enabling me to gather a large amount of information on that subject. I will send him through to you now."

"Thanks, Professor," Ash cheered causing the old man to chuckle and the boy's excitement.

Glaceons Pokeball soon appeared beside Ash sitting on the transportation pad. The black haired boy quickly grabbed the Pokeball grinning down at it. The red and white ball felt comfortable in his hand, it was like a friend was coming home after years of going away. It was strange considering it had only been about a month.

"It was a pleasure to help you evolve your Eevee," Professor Rowan stated. Then the old man signed off causing the screen to turn back.

Wasting no time, Ash threw the Pokeball releasing Glaceon. It had light blue fur that can be frozen into sharp quills, with long pointed ears, dark eyes and a small nose. Glaceon has two dark blue rhombus-shaped markings on its back and the tip of its tail and feet were the same shade of blue.

"Glaceon, the fresh snow Pokemon. As a protective technique, it can completely freeze its fur to make its hairs stand like needles. This Glaceon is male and knows the moves tackle, icy wind, quick attack and ice fang."

"Awesome," Ash exclaimed. He couldn't believe that his brave Eevee had evolved into such as great Pokemon. Now, Ash had an ice Pokemon, which meant that the black haired boy had at least one Pokemon of every type.

* * *

The second task on Ash's agenda was to meet up with Louise and go with her to get a starter Pokemon. It was now 9:20 am and since Ash was already in the lab at this time every morning, he would be meeting the blonde haired girl at the front door at 9:30am.

So, the black haired boy ran to the front door of the lab and pulled open the large mass of wood. There she stood. The blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl who was waiting outside the lab, turned to look at Ash smiling.

"You're early!" Ash exclaimed.

This caused the girl to blush shyly as she said, "Yeah, I couldn't wait around the house any longer and I knew you were coming here to get Glaceon, so I started to walk over."

"Well then, let's go in," Ash shouted. He then grabbed Louise's hand and dragged her into the lab. "Professor Oak!" the black haired boy called. "Professor Oak!"

"In here Ash, " the grey haired man said followed by "Ouch, ouch, ouch!"

Ash and Louise found the old Professor buried in empty Pokeballs with a cardboard box covering his head. It appeared as if the old man had spilt a box from the high shelf, causing the contents to bounce off his head and onto the floor. Then scene looked quite ridiculous.

"Professor, honestly," Ash said and pulled the box off the old man's head. "I don't think I have ever met such a clumsy person."

This caused the Professor to laugh awkwardly, "You are probably right." Then turning his head to the blonde haired girl he continued, "Miss Dimare I see you are ready to receive your starter Pokemon. You are the first to arrive so you can have you pick - Have you decided which one you would like?"

Louise nodded quietly, hiding partially behind Ash as he said, "Of course she has, Professor. I let her battle with my Squirtle, Bulbasaur and Charmander. In fact, it was her battle that caused Charmander to evolve into Charmeleon."

"Oh good," smiled the old man. "Just give me a moment and I will take you to the Pokemon."

After the empty Pokeballs were packed back into the box they fell from, the Professor led the eleven and twelve-year-old to the collection area of the lab. It was there that three Pokeballs sat into their stands on the top of a metal table.

"First, your Pokedex," Professor Oak said as he handed the shy Louise a pink device similar to Ash's. "It will automatically record all of the data of the Pokemon you caught and will provide you with information on all the discovered Pokemon," the man explained. "Now, your starter."

The Professor then released Charmander from its Pokeball. "The fire Pokemon Charmander," he announced and then released Bulbasaur and Squirtle, doing the same thing.

Louise considered each Pokemon carefully before turning to the Professor and saying, "I... I, um, I would like Squirtle, please." The blonde haired girl then flushed a deep red, embarrassed at her stutter answer.

"Excellent choice," the Professor praised and then handed Louise her Squirtle's Pokeball.

Shyly the girl requested her water type to return and then turned to Ash. "I am ready to go when you are," she said indicating to the backpack on her shoulder. Louise had already packed and said goodbye to her father.

"Erm, I just have to pick up my bag from my house," Ash told the girl and then turned to say goodbye to Professor Oak. "Also, " he said as an afterthought. "We should bring our bikes. There is a newly constructed bridge leading from Fuchsia city to Sunny Town, but it only allows for cars and bicycles to cross."

Louise nodded and the two went their separate ways agreeing to meet at the town's exit.

Ash ran to his house and grabbed his bag, grunting at the weight. His mum must have put additional items into the bag when he was out. The black haired boy then called Pikachu, who was watching TV in his bedroom, and finally he was ready. With Togepi at the lab being safely looked after there was nothing to worry about. The trainer even selected his six Pokemon in accordance to those who will have the advantage in fighting Viridian's gym leader. Those Pokemon were Squirtle, Bulbasaur, Glaceon, Gloom and Poliwag.

Louise also ran to her house, going straight to the shed. The blond haired girl was lucky that her father had kept her white bike in such good condition after they moved house. In fact, she was surprised he didn't just throw it out. After all, she had not been riding since her mum had died, mostly because it was something that the two use to do together.

The pair and Pikachu met up at the exit of their hometown. Ash riding his black bike with dark blue bolts of lightning, Louise riding her white bike with pale pink tyres. The sun was shining once again, making it a beautiful day to cycle.

"Are you ready?" Ash asked Louise, the loaded question.

What he really meant was 'are you ready to leave town and your dad for up to a year, only being able to talk to each other through videophones?'

However, getting the double mean, the girl just smiled and nodded her head.

"Then let's go," the black haired boy cheered and the two kicked off riding down the road.

* * *

It took less than a day for the group of three to get to the Viridian City Pokemon Centre. In the morning, Ash would challenge the ground type gym and hopefully win his Earth badge. However, now the sun was beginning to set, so the three purchased their rooms and sat down for dinner.

"So, have you thought about what Pokemon you want to catch? I mean, there are a lot of different types of trainer out there," Ash said to the girl sitting in front of him.

"No," Louise shook her head. She didn't really want to focus on catching one type of Pokemon, but she also had no idea what she wanted to do. Therefore, the blonde haired girl decided that she would only catch the Pokemon that 'called' to her or appealed to her most.

* * *

The next morning found Ash, Louise and Pikachu standing outside of the Roman style building. It had white stone pillars twice as tall as the black haired boy and large wooden doors. Outside of which were two soldiers or guards dressed in a red tunic that looked like a dress and metal shoulder plates with body armour. They also wore dangly straps as a groin protector.

"I am Ash from Pallet town," the boy said with his Pikachu on his shoulder. "I would like to request a gym battle."

The soldiers said nothing as they banged the ends of their wooden javelin or spear against the concrete beneath them. They must have been pushing a button or something because the wooden doors then slid open revealing a dark corridor.

"Let's go," Ash said to Louise who gripped onto the back of his shirt nervously.

The dark corridor soon gave way tp a large battling arena with purple walls designed with an arch like patterns. Two shapes stood in the window on top of a platform, darkening the room further as they blocked the main source of light.

Suddenly, evil laughter burst from one of the figures and more lights flicked on. Finally, Ash could see who was standing there: Team Rocket.

"Prepare for trouble," the woman said.

"Better make it double," the man added.

"To protect the world from devastation."

"To unite all people within out nation."

"To denounce the evils of truth and love."

"To extend our reach to the stars above."

"Not you again," Ash groaned.

"Hey," Jessie shouted at the black haired boy as she leant over the bannister, trying to get a closure shot at him. "I resent that and don't interrupt us we were almost finished, you twerp!"

"Ash do you know them?" Louise asked getting the boys attention by tugging on his shirt.

"Yeah, they are a couple of crazy people who try, and fail, to steal Pokemon," Ash responded matter of factly.

"We're not crazy!" James shouted him omission. "And we are not here to steal Pokemon this time."

The Meowth then jumped out saying, "We have been promoted and are not the new leaders of the gym."

Louise gasped. The Meowth just talked, using the human language. She had never heard of a talking Meowth before. "Weird," the blonde haired girl muttered.

"Well then," Ash grinned. "This battle should be easy."

"You won't be able to beat us, twerp," Jessie sneered.

"But we invite you to give it your best shot," James commented.

"Yeah, and why not have that Pikachu of yours be a prize for when we defeat you," the Meowth smiled.

"No way," Ash shooked his head, jostling the yellow mouse Pokemon. "I would never let you have Pikachu."

"Then you know where the door is," the talking cat Pokemon informed the boy.

Ash tsked as he turned to leave. He would just have to find another gym.

"Pika, pika," Ash's Pikachu suddenly jumped into the battle arena.

Ash looked down at his electric Pokemon and signed. It seemed that Pikachu wasn't ready to give up, despite Team Rockets condition. The Pikachu trusted his trainer.

The black haired boy then stepped into the trainer's box, which rose into the air. Louise was left to sit on of the benches facing the ground field.

Team Rocket then decided to play dirty, calling out all three Pokemon at once. A Machamp, Kingler and Rhydon.

If they were not going to battle fairly then Ash was going to even the playing field. So, the boy called out his Bulbasaur and Squirtle, taking advantage of Kingler's weakness against grass types and Rhydon's weakness against water types.

"Ha! This should be easy," Jessie laughed looking at how strong her boss's Pokemon were. They will be able to defeat the brat with no problem.

"Machamp, karate chop that Squirtle," the pink haired criminal ordered.

"Squirtle, withdraw," Ash shouted hoping the water Pokemon's shell will be hard enough to withstand the fighting type Pokemon's attack.

Suddenly, Ash felt a tingle at his feet and then when Machamp once again hit Squirtle the boy's cells felt like they were roasting under his skin.

"Ash!" Louise shouted as she ran over to the trainer platform.

"Do you like our new feature? We wired it so that the trainer feels their Pokemon's pain," James laughed.

The black-haired boy stood unsteadily on his feet and shouted weakly, "If they can take it so can I. Bulbasaur, razor leaf on Kingler. Squirtle water gun on Rhyhorn and Pikachu, iron tail on Machamp!"

"Kingler harden and then use bubble," Jessie ordered. However, while she was concentrating on her water Pokemon attacking Ash's grass Pokemon, the gyms other Pokemon stood in place as they were attacked. With no orders, these Pokemon refused to do anything, even defend themselves. This was due to the strict training that the real gym leader had put them through. Do nothing unless ordered otherwise.

The damage dealt by these attacks on the other two Pokemon was then delivered to the three members of Team Rocket as Ash told Bulbasaur to dodge.

"Meowth," Jessie panted angrily, trying to catch her breath after being shock by her own trainer box. "Why did you wire our side as well!"

"I didn't think it would matter. It never occurred to me that we would lose," the talking cat Pokemon explained as it now lay panting on the floor.

"You idiot," Jessie growled.

"Now everyone, tackle!" the black haired trainer shouted.

"Be careful, Ash," Louise called to the boy as she chewed worriedly on her bottom lip.

"Don't worry about me," Ash winked down at the blonde causing her to blush.

"Ah!" Team Rocket shouted as they were electrocuted by the platform.

"Turn it off! Turn it off!" Jessie shouted at Meowth. She was then shocked once more as Ash attacked with everything he had.

"I have had enough," Jessie said. "All Pokemon attack!"

All Pokemon included Team Rocket's Arbok and Weezing, who joined the battle making it five against three.

"You can't use new Pokemon now, it's against the rules," Louise suddenly shouted and then covered her mouth in embarrassment. She had never let herself be so outspoken before.

"I make the rule for this gym," Jess told the blonde haired girl.

Ash growled low in his throat gritting his teeth. "Squirtle, use water gun on everyone!"

The tiny turtle Pokemon followed Ash's command and covered every Pokemon it water.

"Let's go Pikachu," Ash shouted.

"Pika," the yellow mouse Pokemon nodded from below.

Pikachu then jumped onto Team Rocket's Pokemon and used thunder. All five Pokemon were soon screaming in pain as the electric attack burned through their bodies due to water conducting electricity. This also caused Jessie, James and Meowth to be electrocuted as well, So, it was no surprise that when all of the Pokemon collapsed unconscious, the lousy thieves did too.

"We did it!" Ash exclaimed. "We won the match. You were all great!"

The black haired boy then made his way down his platform nd stumbled slightly as his knees threatened to give out.

"Ash,are you okay?" Louise said as she ran over the boy's side.

"Yeah, I am great," Ash responded pumping his fist into the air, and it was true. The black haired boy has never felt so ecstatic about winning a battle before. "Now, let's get my Earth badge."

The badge in the shape of a green leaf had been dropped just beyond Jessie's groaning body. Ash surged forward and grasped it in his hand, grinning down at his first badge. He could do this, he could definitely earn eight gym badges.

Placing the badge in the first slot of his case, Ash, Pikachu and Louise made their way back to the Pokemon Centre. They will stay there for a couple more days in order for Ash and his Pokemon to rest and heal.

The black haired boy also began to research the gym he would battle next. Pewter City gym, known for its rock type Pokemon. So, if rock Pokemon were weak against fighting, ground, steel, water, grass and ice type Pokemon, Ash should swap his team out. He decided to replace his Squirtle and Bulbasaur (since they had already battled against a gym) with Mankey and Gyarados.

Ash couldn't wait for his next gym battle.

* * *

 **Remember at least 10 reviews before I post the next chapter!**


	28. Chapter 28: Meeting Brock

**Wow, can you believe how long it took for the last chapter to get 10 reviews! Sorry to all those that had to wait, but I finally present you with the next part of Ash's story...**

* * *

 **Chapter 28 - Meeting Brock**

The next stop on Ash and Louise's journey was Pewter City. The black haired boy smiled, the was where he had caught his Rhyhorn, on the rocky path that leads to the less spectacular of the Kanto Cities. Compared to Fuchsia City, this place was small and out of the way, surrounded by crumbling cliffs.

"Pewter City is grey the colour of stone."

Ash stopped as he heard the familiar voice and sentence, planting his foot firmly on the ground, causing Louise to stop behind him.

"Ah," he exclaimed. "It's the weird old man again." Ash then turned to Louise and said, "Don't touch anything, even the stones, he might think you want to buy them."

The shy blonde nodded in confusion and followed behind the boy as he walked closer to the stranger. It was then that the girl realised what he was talking about. 'The wired old man', as Ash put it, priced stone he could get his hands on.

"The names Flint," the old man said. "Have we met before?"

"Uh, yeah, I passed through this time last year," the black haired boy informed the man. "But Louise is new to the Pokemon journey."

"Ha ha," Flint suddenly laughed and stood up from his place on a rather large stone. "Don't tell me you were planning to challenge Brock the Pewter City gym leader."

"Of course I am," Ash said defensively as he clutched his hand around his bike handle, squeezing so tight that his knuckles turned white. "Let's go," the boy said to his travelling companions whilst the weird old man continued to laugh.

Pewter gym was a strange place, help up by stone and metal. No, seriously. All the gym had was a clearly seen metal frame and walls pieced together with grey stones that appeared to have miraculously tumbled into place from the cliffs on either side of it. The doorway was also metal but was dwarfed in size by the giant rock that sat on top of it. Bold, printed letters carved into the stone said 'PEWTER GYM'.

Opening the gym door, Ash shouted 'hello', but the only response was his own voice echoed back at him.

"Who goes there," a young voice suddenly said as lights burst into existence, eliminating the cave-like gym.

A boy, probably a few years older than Ash sat with his legs crossed on a stone platform. He had brown hair and black eyes and wore a dull green shirt with an orange sleeveless jacket. With grey trousers and blue and white shoes, Ash was not expecting the Pewter City gym leader to look like this.

He was expecting an adult with years of experience and a gruff personality to match the tone of the place. Instead, Ash got a fifteen-year-old boy.

"You must be Brock," Ash said. "I am Ash from Pallet Town. I challenge you to a battle."

"Is this your first gym match?" Brock questioned not battling an eye at the black haired boy, blonde haired girl and Pikachu.

"No," Ash stated. "I challenged the Viridian City gym and won an Earth badge."

"Good," Brock nodded seriously. "The rules are simple: we will use two Pokemon each and you may not switch a Pokemon out until it is deemed unable to battle."

Then Brock glanced down at Pikachu and said, "How long have you been with that Pokemon?"

"Um, just over a year," Ash responded wearily glancing at Louise and then his Pikachu. He did not expect the dark skinned teen, Brock, to be so intense either.

"Your Pikachu can't win," Brock said seriously as he leads the small group deeper into the gym. "But it is my duty to accept every gym challenge, so let's get this over with."

Ash wanted to make a sharp-tongued comment about the fact that Pikachu wasn't his only Pokemon and, if it was, it knew one make that could take down any rock Pokemon thrown his way.

The battling arena was dark and linked with metal seats and barriers to stop those watching from getting too close. It was there that Louise stood with Pikachu, who Ash had asked he to watch. The field was dull of sharply pointed brown rocks, living up to the rock type gyms reputation.

Brock stood in his trainers stand on the opposite side of Ash, watching the boy as intently as Ash was watching him.

"Let the match begin," Brock then said, holding out his Pokeball. "Onix, go!"

Onix resembles a giant chain of boulders that become small towards its tail. It has a rocky spine on its head and a pair of black eyes right beneath it.

"Mankey," Ash shouted throwing his Pokeball.

While Mankey was small in comparison to the large rock Pokemon, Ash was hoping to take advantage of this. As it is likely that Onix will be much slower due to its overly large body.

"Onix tackle attack," Brock said calmly.

"Dodge it," Ash told his Pokemon.

The large rock snake smashed its head into the ground of the battle arena where Mankey had just been standing. This had caused a dust cloud to form and bits of rock to fly everywhere forcing the two trainers to cover their eyes.

"Mankey, use fury swipes," Ash ordered.

The cloud of dust disappeared giving the fighting type Pokemon a clear view of its target. It then used its monkey-like legs to jump towards the rock types face digging its super strong claws into the stone.

Onix roared deeply and thrashed its head from side to side, throwing the small Pokemon off.

Brock's Pokemon then wrapped its tail around Mankey's fallen body and squeezed. The fighting type Pokemon wriggled and cried out but there was no way it escapes. It could feel its chest being crushed by its opponents firm grip.

"Mankey, use focus blast," Ash ordered seeing that his Pokemon's arms were free.

The pig monkey Pokemon then lifted both his arms over its head and began to glow red. The red power then built up into a mass hovering over the Mankey's head. As the mass grew bigger a beam of red light hit Onix causing the Pokemon to scream in pain.

"Onix!" Brock shouted worried for his Pokemon. However, the rock Pokemon did not release its grip and only squeezed tighter.

"Onix stop!" Brock then ordered surprising the black haired boy.

Mankey then tumbled to the ground defeated, allowing Ash to recalled it to its Pokeball.

In the stands, a group of children had gathered to see the battle. The stood with Louise and Pikachu, who waited with their breath held to find out what Pokemon Ash would use now. However, before focusing back on the match, the blonde haired girl did notice that all the children had a remarkable resemblance to the gym leader that her friend was battling.

Since size did nothing but worsen Ash's odds, the boy decided it was time to release his own large Pokemon. Gyarados.

"Gyarados, hydro pump," Ash ordered.

Suddenly, a large torrent of water burst from the red and black water Pokemon's mouth. It crashed into the Onix, who dropped to the floor in agony.

"Onix, return," Brock shouted knowing that his Pokemon was defeated and not wanting it to suffer anymore. The brown haired boy then called for Geodude.

The was a grey boulder Pokemon. It had bulging, rocky eyebrows and trapezoidal, brown eyes. Its arms are muscular with five fingers on every hand.

"Last one Gyarados," Ash told his Pokemon. "Use tackle."

The large red and black Pokemon dived towards the hovering rock type Pokemon, smashing its face into its boulder-like body. Geodude was sent flying back into one of the large rocks that the arena featured.

"Gyarados, hydro pump one more time," Ash said.

Brock had no time to react as the water struck his Pokemon faster than he could blink. It never had a chance. The shiny Gyarados then began to roar in victory, causing the black haired boy and his friends to laugh. It appeared that the Pokemon was extremely happy to win its first official battle.

"It was a great battle," Ash commented as he walked across the arena towards Geodude, who still lay slumped against the brown rock. The boy then sank down beside the Pokemon and patted it on the head. "You did very well Geodude," he whispered before standing up.

"Hey, Brock, are they your brothers and sisters? They look just like you," Ash asked indicating to the group of nine or more children that were bawling their eyes out and sniffling as Louise panicked not knowing what to do.

"I can't believe Onix was beaten," one of the siblings cried hysterically.

Brock's personality then did a one hundred and eighty-degree flip, from the serious gym leader to over protective mum.

"Hey! What are you guys doing here?" Brock shouted towards his siblings. "Why are you not at home doing your homework?"

This, of course, caught the children's attention. They were in fight or flight mode and the kids knew that flight was the best way to deal with their big brother. After all, if they stayed where they were it would only get them a tongue lashing in the end.

"Sorry about them," Brock said but Ash waved off the apology. The teen then said, "This badge is now yours."

In the teen's hand, which was held out to Ash, was a simple grey octagon representing the fact that he had won against the Pewter gym.

It was the boulder badge. They did it. The black haired boy and his Pokemon won their second badge.

"Thanks," Ash smiled as he took the small shiny badge from the young gym leader.

"You are a better Pokemon trainer than I will ever be," Brock commented and just as Ash was about to deny the statement the brown haired boy went on. "In truth, I find more happiness in raising Pokemon than fighting them. I want to become the world's best Pokemon breeder, not a gym leader. However, I can't leave here because it was my duty to look after my brothers and sisters."

"That sucks," was all the black haired boy could say. He felt bad for the teen in front of him because here Ash was living out his dream and Brock unable to follow his because family came first. "To be weighted down by a responsibility that isn't yours."

"Brock," came the familiar gruff voice that Ash was starting to hate. "You go follow your dream."

"Flint," Ash stated seeing the old man in his red woollen hat and a thick beard.

"My father," Brock said glaring st the man before him. The man that had abandoned him and his siblings.

"It is about time I started to care for my family as I should be doing, you go and fulfil your dreams and I will look after your brothers and sisters," the old man said as he smiled towards his son. He knew that this would not make up for what he had did but he was hoping that one day Brock would forgive him.

Brock had become serious once again as he said, "First the are something I need to tell you,"

The old man, Flint, looked down in shame expecting his son to shout at him or punch him or something. After all, that is what he deserved. No son should have to take on the responsibility of his parents.

The teen then reached into his jacket and pulled out a needle and string. "Susie always rips her dress so you need to learn how to sew. Timmy only eats cold spaghetti for breakfast. Tommy, like cornflakes for dinner."

Flint quickly pulled out a notepad when he realised that his son was giving him a to-do list of sorts, but still he could not keep up.

"Slow down," Brock's father shouted. "I can't write that fast."

"Sindy sleep walks," the teen continued ignoring the man. "So you have to tie a bell on her wrist. The twins never want to take a bath..."

* * *

Are you sure it's okay if I go with you?" Brock said as he sat on his green bike riding out of Pewter City the next morning.

"Of course I am," Ash told the boy. "And Louise doesn't mind either, she is just a little shy at first."

And so with another friend joining Ash and Pikachu on their journey the boy could not wait to get to the next gym and earn his third badge.

Along with way, the black haired boy questioned Brock on his knowledge of the Cerulean City gym. This gym handled water type Pokemon and had a water arena to battle in. So, with this information in mind, Ash switched his Mankey, Gloom and Glaceon for Pidgeotto, Squirtle and Seadra, not knowing what Pokemon the leader will have up their sleeves. Ash also recalled that Misty was part of the Cerulean gym. She was the annoying girl that hated bug Pokemon but was nice enough to loan him a fishing rod.

* * *

Riding up mount moon was an exhausting task, the grey sky not making their travel any better but was certainly more appreciated than the boiling hot sun.

The trees grew thicker and thicker around the group of three plus Pikachu, causing their surrounding to become darker and darker. They rode through the shadowy woodland area until Louise caught movement from the corner of her eye.

"Hey, Ash," the blonde haired girl said and stopped pedalling, letting er bike roll to a stop as she softly applied the brake. "What Pokemon is that?"

The black haired boy turned to where his friend was indicating and smiled as he recognised the Pokemon. It had a golden brown hide that covers most of its body, including two brown dorsal spikes. On its head, it wore a skull as a helmet so only its dark brown eyes could be seen.

"It's a Cubone," Ash stated.

Louise just nodded, it was a strange yet cute Pokemon and she wouldn't mind having it. However, the blonde haired girl didn't know if her Squirtle was ready to battle such a Pokemon. After all, she had only had it for about a week.

Brock, seeing the younger girls hesitance, decided to push her into challenging both her and her Pokemon. "Why don't you try and catch it?" he recommended. "What harm could it do? I mean, even if you don't win, your Pokemon will get stronger just by battling."

The girl nodded again but with more determination this time. She then slowly pulled her Pokeball out of her bag and said, "Go, Squirtle."

When the Cubone came face to face with the tiny turtle Pokemon it attacked first and asked questions later, in a sense. The ground type Pokemon swiped its bone weapon aiming for the Squirtle who tried to dance away from the attack.

Louise gasped as her Pokemon was injured and glanced at the black-haired boy beside her. However, all he did was smile at her and nod his head silently telling the blonde to not give up just yet.

"Squirtle, water gun," Louise said hesitantly.

From her Pokemon's mouth, a large stream of water burst and hit the Cubone, who did not think to dodge. This caused the Pokemon's body to slam into the tree truck strategically placed behind it.

"That should do it, Louise, now throw a Pokeball," Brock said.

The girl blushed furiously as she pulled out one of her empty Pokeballs. However, her pale pink blush quickly turned crimson red as the ball missed the Pokemon completely and hit the floor a metre before it.

"Try again, Louise, with a little more strength," Ash told the girl calmly.

Taking a deep breath, Louise listened to Ash and repeated the throw with another Pokeball. However, this time she put more power into it.

"Yes!" the blonde muttered under her breath as the ball hit her target catching the ground type Pokemon. She then walked over, leaving her bike leant against a tree, and picked up the empty Pokemon and the one Cubone was in.

'The first Pokemon Squirtle and I caught,' she thought.

* * *

 **Hey guys, how did you like this chapter? Good, bad, too similar to the anime? Tell me your thoughts.**

 **I would also like to give you a heads up that my updates won't be as regular until the Christmas holidays. This is because on the 5th December I have a mock test, 12th December I have an exam, 13th December yet another test and on the 15th December I have to do a presentation. I know it is a lot crammed into a short time and the worst part is that all of this was sent by the same lecturer :-(**


	29. Chapter 29: Misty Battles

**Chapter 29 - Misty Battles**

Walking down the dirt road towards Cerulean City, home of the water type gym, the City was exactly the same as when Ash and Pikachu arrived last year. Since it was early in the morning and the sun was shining brightly overhead, the group made their way straight to the black haired boy's next battleground as soon as the were in the City.

The Cerulean gym was a dome shape with a yellow and pink roof patterned like a circus tent. Upon in sat a Dewdong that appeared to ride the white waves that wrapped around the edge. There was a short winding path that brought the group of four straight to the water Pokemon gym.

Inside, crowds of people were seated around a large pool with a diving board, making it look more like a stadium than a gym. Then a strange ringing sound echoed around them as someone announced, Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome the stars of our show: the Sensational Cerulean City Swimming Sisters."

Bright lights began to whirl around at the announcement before landing on the diving board. There three women stood waving at the crowd, smiling and blowing kisses. It was obvious that they were not shy when it came to standing in front of a massive audience.

"I am in love," Brock suddenly said from behind Ash.

The black haired boy had to admit that the three women were very beautiful. The first woman had shiny golden hair, slightly brighter than Louise's whose was pale blonde. Wearing a short bright red swimming dress and deep green eyes, she was a knockout and the audience made sure she knew it. The second sister had brown eyes and shiny indigo coloured haired wearing a just as short green dress. The last woman had blue eyes, pink hair and wore a yellow dress. In truth, they didn't look anything like biological sisters, unless one of their parents had a child with a different spouse every time or they were adopted. Ash was leaning more towards adoption since they looked to be roughly the same age.

The crowd, like Brock, began to cheer the three beauties on as they dived off the board, twirled and landed in the water with a splash - all in perfect securitisation. They then danced and performed in the water below.

After the performance, Ash and the group went around the back to find the supposed gym leaders. The boy wondering where on earth Misty was. When he did find them he quickly requested a battle.

"We don't want to battle," the blonde told Ash.

"Yeah, we prefer to focus on our performances and our beauty," the pink haired one said with her arms behind her hand.

Brock, upon hearing this, snapped out of his lovesick phase and glared at the girls. "I am the gym leader of Pewter City and I know that it is our responsibility to accept every challenge. Why are you refusing a trainer the right to earn a badge?"

"Like, if he wants a badge he can take it," the indigo haired woman said and the blonde pulled out a light blue raindrop badge.

"No, thank you," Ash frowned. "I would rather earn my badges."

As Ash walked away from the three sisters, not really noticing that Louise and Brock were left behind. He was fuming! These gym leaders were lazy and unwilling to deal with the responsibilities given to them when they became a league approved gym. Unbelievable!

"Wait!" Someone shouted from the darkness. "I will battle him."

It was a girl with bright orange hair and viridian green eyes. Wearing shorts and a baggy shirt with her hair tied messily to the side. It was obvious that she was a tomboy.

"Misty" Ash suddenly shouted surprising Louise and Brock who wonder how the boy knew her.

"That's right," came her quick-witted reply. "This is great. If Daisy won't battle you then I will."

Ash the girl said this, Ash recalled his conversation with her. She had been right, her sisters were more like performers than gym leaders. However, the boy found it inconceivable that any gym leader would prefer to do something else. After all, they would have to work very hard to get approved by the Pokemon League, so only people that are passionate about this line of work would have succeeded. So, convinced that the only fair battle that he will get from the Cerulean gym is from Misty, Ash nodded his head in agreement.

* * *

Cerulean gyms water battle area consisted of a giant pool and thick floating platforms. The boy and his friends had expected more from the gym which had sisters that always seemed like they want the things that look best. In order to keep up appearance. However, he did not really care, he was going to win his next badge and get far away from the orange haired girl before she decided to tag along again. After, despite getting along with her better now, Ash would not want to put up with her any longer than he has to.

"I wasn't planning on challenging anyone today, I was expecting you to come a little later, closer to the time that you arrive in Cerulean last year. However, despite how unprepared I am, it has to be done," the loud mouth girl said. "If you want that cascade badge then you are going to have to beat me."

"My pleasure," Ash muttered to himself. As he stood on one of the floating platforms with Pikachu at his side , he reached for one of his Pokeballs and said, "Pidgeotto, I choose you."

As the flying Pokemon appeared, Misty called out Staryu. This Pokemon was a golden-brown sea star with five appendages. These appendages surrounded an exterior organ that resembled a red jewel held in place by a golden ring. Ash had to admit it was a pretty cool Pokemon.

Louise was thinking the same thing, whilst she and Brock wanted in the viewer's area. However, because she could not ask Ash about the water Pokemon and was not comfortable enough to talk to Brock without her other friend with her, she pointed her Pokedex at it.

 **"Staryu. the star-shaped Pokemon. An enigmatic Pokemon that can effortlessly regenerate any appendage it loses in battle."**

"Cool," Louise whispered and smiled. The other girl had a good Pokemon.

The blonde haired girl then turned her eyes back to Ash as he ordered Pidgeotto to tackle, knocking the Pokemon on its back, looking more like someone had pushed it over than actually tackled it.

"Staryu, counter attack," Misty said clenching her fists. She didn't understand why she felt like she needed to win so bad. Maybe to prove she was a better trainer to the boy that had ignored her? Or maybe to show her sisters she took her responsibility of gym leader more seriously than them.

The water type Pokemon jumped towards its opponent allowing its body to spin rapidly like a blade in a fan.

"Pidgeotto, dodge it!" Ash shouted. The flying type Pokemon followed the boy's orders, launching itself higher into the air. "Now, quick attack."

The bird Pokemon turned down into a dive ramming into the star Pokemon that was still recovering from its failed attack.

"Staryu, water gun," the orange haired girl ordered.

Her Pokemon the jumped into the water and resurface moments later spraying high pressured water at the bird Pokemon.

"Wind cutter," Ash commanded.

Pidgeotto slashed its wings downward, causing the wind to form a large 'X' as it sped towards Staryu. It sliced through the water gun and knocked the attacking Pokemon into the water.

When Staryu jumped out of the water it tackled Pidgeotto over and over again. This had to stop before each Pokemon wore themselves out.

"Use agility to get close and then wind cutter," Ash said as Staryu stopped its attack for a second to catch its breath.

A close range wind cutter was exactly what Ash needed to win this battle as it sent the water Pokemon crashing into the wall behind Misty, unable to battle anymore.

"Staryu return," the girl said, shrinking the Pokeball and pulling out another one. "Misty calls Starmie."

This Pokemon was a violet sea star with a golden front formation. It had a second set of semi-attached arms on its back and a multicoloured glowing core.

Just like last time, Louise scanned it with her Pokedex which informed her, "Starmie, the mysterious Pokemon. Its central core glows with seven colours of the rainbow. Some people value the core as a gem."

Seeing as Pidgeotto was tired, Ash called his Pokemon back and shouted, "Squirtle, I choose you."

Upon hearing this Louise gasped as her own Squirtle released itself from its Pokeball. It cheered as it ran to the edge of the Pool, only to be held back by the blonde haired girl who said, "Not you."

Behind Luise and her Squirtle, Brock laughed and said, "Relax. I bet your Squirtle just wanted to see Ash's in battle."

This caused Louise to flush red and nod her understanding, but still keep her Squirtle in her grip. Just in case.

"Squirtle, use water gun and then tackle," Ash said.

"Dive under and then up," Misty ordered trying to be smart. However, the black haired boy had trained his Pokemon to be more independent than most. So, instead of carrying his orders out immediately, Squirtle bided his time.

When Starmie emerged, Squirtle attacked. It used its water gun to block its body from sight, so the opponent never saw the second attack coming.

The star Pokemon dropped into the water like a rock and, when it resurfaced, it was clear that it would not be able to continue battling.

"You win," Misty sighed and returned her Starmie to its Pokeball.

"So, like, this actually belongs to you now," Misty's indigo haired sister said as she took the badge from the blonde and handed Ash his third gym badge.

After the battle, Louise's Squirtle had become incredibly attached to Ash's. The boy could practically see hearts in its eyes as it rubbed up against his Pokemon, who shifted uncomfortably at the females attention.

* * *

At the Pokemon centre, Ash reminded Louise to scan her Cubone with her Pokedex so that she would know what types of moves it could use. This caused the blonde haired girl to gasped as she realised that she didn't even know her Squirtle's attacks and had ordered it to use water gun on a whim. What if the water type Pokemon did not know that move? It could have been hurt.

So, she quickly took out her Pokedex and scanned both her Pokemon.

 **"Squirtle, the tiny turtle Pokemon. After birth, its back swells and hardens into a shell and it can powerfully spray foam from its mouth. This Squirtle is female and knows the moves tackle, water gun and tail whip.**

 **Cubone, the lonely Pokemon. Because it never removes its skull helmet, no one had ever seen this Pokemon's face. This Cubone is male and knows the moves bone club and head butt."**

After that little task was done the group booked a room to stay for the week, along with purchasing a voucher each so that they could get a nice hot dinner. Ash, Louise and Brock sat at the dining table with a steaming hot plate of curry each, whilst the Pokemon were scattered around them attacking their own food. This was one of the comforts that travelling Pokemon trainers had and they were going to make the best of it.

"Hey, Louise, how about you and me have to mock Pokemon battle. I am sure that it will help strengthen your Pokemon and give you some more experience battle as well," Ash said wanted to train some of the other Pokemon that had not been able to battle in the gym match.

Louise considered the suggestion for a moment before nodding her head, "Okay, that sound like fun."

"Great, it will be just like last time, except you have your own Pokemon now."

Louise and Ash found themselves standing at the back of the Pokemon Centre with a Pokeball in each hand. Ash had decided to use his Poliwag as Seadra's body is not meant to battle on land.

"Poliwag, I choose you," he shouted throwing his red and white ball into the battlefield.

Louise smiled and then threw her own Pokeball, "Squirtle, go!"

The two water type Pokemon faced it off, each glaring down at the other with determination. Ash felt a thrill spike through him at having a mock battle with someone other than his own Pokemon. This made the battle less predictable and more challenging because Ash did not know his opponents strengths and weaknesses.

"Poliwag, get close and use double slap," Ash ordered.

As the tadpole Pokemon jumped towards the tiny turtle Pokemon, Louise shouted, "Dodge it," causing the double slap to miss.

"Good, now use water gun," Louse continued, trying to catch Poliwag unguarded. However, without even saying an order, Ash water type shot to the side. The water gun skimming the Pokemon by millimetres. That was close.

"Bubble, Poliwag," Ash said.

Silver bubble shot from the tadpole Pokemon's mouth too fast for the Squirtle to dodge, hitting it squarely in the chest.

"Squirtle," Louise gasped in worry. "Are you okay?"

As the tiny turtle, Pokemon stumbled to its feet is exclaimed, "Squirtle, squirt," reassuring the blonde that she was okay.

"Thank God," Louise sighed in relief and then said, "Use tackle and then follow it up with a tail whip."

Although Poliwag dodged the tackle on Ash's order, it was not fast enough to dodge the tail whip which slashed against the Pokemon's chest and created a strange burning sensation.

"Poliwag, use dig and then bubble," Ash ordered knowing that at the moment this fight was looking more like a ping-pong game than a Pokemon battle. It was surprising how good Louise had become since their last battle in which she had used the boy's Pokemon.

The small tadpole Pokemon quickly dived underground causing Squirtle to become confused as it tried to figure out where the Pokemon would resurface. However, it was impossible, so when Poliwag did break from the ground and sent a spray of silver bubbles at Louise Pokemon it was done for.

Ash's attack had effectively showered her Squirtle in power-laden bubbled, hitting both the Pokemon and the earth beneath its feet, causing dust to cover the scene. So, when the cloud had finally cleared, Louise was said to see that her Pokemon now lay unconscious on the floor.

"Don't worry Louise, it was a great battle," Ash told the girl as he returned Poliwag to its Pokeball. "We should get our Pokemon to Nurse Joy though so that they can be revitalised.

The girl nodded and returned her Pokemon as well, realising that she still needed to get stronger in order to beat Ash.

* * *

It has been two months since Ash, Pikachu and Louise left Pallet town and slightly less than that for Brock who left Pewter City and his siblings. They were now walking through the forest towards Vermillion City gym when the boy recognised something familiar about where they were.

Yes, he remembered this area very clearly, this was where he captured Bulbasaur. Therefore, the meant that the Hidden Village was close by along with Melanie. If only he remembered exactly where it was.

He recalled crossing over a bridge that the group had just ridden over moments before and recollected following the river after that.

"Ha, there it is," Ash shouted to everyone, who were growing tired of following the boy mindlessly.

"Where are you taking us, Ash?" Brock asked getting more confused by the second as he was lead further into the forest surrounding them.

"Last year I came here," the black haired boy explained to his companions. "There is a village hidden at the end of the river, just over there."

As Ash and the group made their way over, he was not surprised to see the familiar woman tending to the Pokemon.

"Hey, Melanie," Ash shouted his greeting waving from the other side of the clearing.

"Melanie," Brock muttered dreamily as he laid eyes on the beauty before him.

This caused the blue haired woman to stand up in shock and call back, "Ash!"

The group then stopped right in front of the woman allowing for the boy to introduce Louise and Brock to her. Melanie smiled her greeting.

"Wow, look at all your Pokemon," Brock said. "You must be an excellent trainer to have so many. Perhaps over lunch you can-."

"They are not Melanie's Pokemon," Ash said pointedly, staring at Brock as if to dare the teenager to try and flirt with her. "This is a place where Pokemon can rest and relax, a place for abandoned or injured Pokemon to heal."

"Oh, that is amazing," Brock said passionately.

The Pokemon in the village where the same ones that Ash met last time he arrived including the Oddish. The boy watched as Louise's eyes immediately went to the Staryu, making the girls desire to catch one clear. The blonde haired girl did not know why but ever since Ash's battle with Misty, she really wanted to catch a star Pokemon of her own.

New additions such as a Weedle, Sandshrew and Mankey, who joined the village after Ash had left were weary of the group of humans. To them, they were strangers invading their peaceful home.

Throughout the day, Ash, Brock and Louise helped Melanie with the Pokemon. They fed them and treated their wounds and even helped wash them. Louise particularly enjoyed washing the Staryu in the small lake next to the wooden cabin. However, out of the entire ground of Pokemon, the shy Weedle was the most difficult to communicate with. It refused to let anyone near it, not even the Melanie who promised to protect and look after it for as look as it needed her.

However, soon Ash's visit came to an end, the boy and his friends waving goodbye to Malanie and the Pokemon. Maybe they will visit again sometime.

* * *

 **A reminder to all of you or what Pokemon Ash and Louise have:**

 **Ash's Pokemon**

 **1)*Pikachu - Male - Electric -**

 **1)*Pikachu - Male - Electric -** **Growl, Thundershock, Quick attack, Tail whip, Agility, Shockwave, Iron Tail**

 **2) *Pidgeotto - Female - Flying, Normal -** **Tackle, Sand attack, Cross/wind cutter, Agility, Quick attack**

 **3) Raticate - Female - Normal -** **Tackle, Tail whip, Quick attack, Hyper fang, Bite**

 **4) Mankey - Male - Fighting -** **Focus blast, Leer, Low kick, Scratch, Fury Swipes**

 **5) Gloom - Male - Grass, poison -** **Absorb, Petal dance, Stun spore, Poison powder**

 **6) Butterfree - Male -Bug , Flying-** **Poison powder, Gust, Sleep powder, Confusion**

 **7) Rhyhorn - Female - Ground, Rock -** **Horn attack, Fury attack, Scary face, Stomp, Shockwave**

 **8) Golbat - Female - Poison, Flying -** **Supersonic, Bite, Air Slash, Poison Fang**

 **9) *Poliwag - Female - Water -** **Water gun, Dig, Double slap, Bubble**

 **10) *Shiny Gyarados - Female - Water -** **Thrash, Hydro pump**

 **11) Bulbasaur - Male - Grass, Poison -** **Vine whip, Growl, Tackle, Razor leaf**

 **12) Charmeleon - Male - Fire -** **Scratch, Fire fang, Ember, Smokescreen**

 **13)* Squirtle - Male - Water -** **Tackle, Water gun, Withdraw**

 **14) *Seadra - Male - Water -** **Smokescreen, Leer, Bubble, Hydro pump**

 **15) Bellsprout - Female - Grass, Poison -** **Vine whip, Wrap, Poison powder, Razor leaf**

 **16) Gastly - Male - Ghost, Poison -** **Lick, Spite, Confuse ray, Sucker punch**

 **17) Parasect - Male - Bug, Grass -** **Poison powder, Stun spore, Leech life, Fury cutter**

 **18)Nidorina - Female - Poison -** **Poison sting, horn attack, double kick, Fury attack**

 **19)Muk - Male - Poison -** **Poison gas, Mud-slap, Sludge**

 **20) Magnemite - N/A - Electric, Steel -** **Thundershock, Sonic boom, Thunder wave, Magnet bomb**

 **21) Dugtrio - Male - Ground -** **Dig, Sand attack, Tri attack**

 **22) Ponyta - Female - Fire -** **Tackle, Flame wheel, Stomp, Fire spin**

 **23) Espeon - Female - Psychic -** **Tackle, Quick attack, Swift, Confusion, Psybeam**

 **24) Eevee - Male - Normal -** **Sand attack, Quick attack, Bite, Takedown**

 **25) Umbreon - Male - Dark -** **Pursuit, Tackle, Confuse ray**

 **26) Glaceon - Male - Ice -** **Tackle, Icy wind, Quick Attack, Ice fang**

 **27)Eevee - Male**

 **28) Snorlax - Male - Normal -** **Belch, Chip away, Body slam, Rollout**

 **29) Jigglypuff - Female - Normal, Fairy -** **Sing, Double slap, Roll**

 **30) Venomoth - Male - Poison, Bug -** **Supersonic, Tackle, Silver wind, Psybeam**

 **31) Togepi - Female - Fairy**

 **32) Spearow - Flying, Normal**

 **33) Clefairy - Fairy -** **Moon blast, Disarming voice, Metronome**

 **34) Tangela - Male - Grass -** **Constrict, Sleep powder**

 **35) Dratini - Male - Dragon -** **Dragon pulse, Ice beam, Wrap**

 **Louise's Pokemon**

 **1) Squirtle - Female - Water -** **Tackle, Tail whip, Water gun**

 **2) Cubone - Male - Ground -** **Bone club, Headbutt**


	30. Chapter 30: Half Way There

**Hey, guys, I am back! Thank you for your patience. I also would like to say that I passed my exam with 89% and my test with 83%, however, I am not allowed to know my presentation mark until after Christmas.**

* * *

 **Chapter 30- Half Way There**

Finally arriving at Vermilion City three months into his journey, Ash, Brock, Louise and Pikachu had plenty of time to research the black haired boys next opponent. From what he remembered, the Vermilion gym leader had caused many Pokemon casualties for Nurse Joy to take care of. So, the group settled down in the Pokemon Centre with the black haired boy staring at a computer screen. Occasionally, his friends would hear him talking to himself as he scrolled through the pages of information and articles.

After a while, it was Louise who decided she could not take the silence anymore. She huffed and said, "So, what have you found?"

"What?" Ash said startled from his thoughts. He had not heard Louise say anything and jumped feet upon hearing he almost shout at him.

"What have you found out about the gym leader?" the blonde haired girl repeated her question, feeling a small pang of annoyance at the boy who had practically ignored her.

"Oh," Ash said and turned to face his two friends and Pikachu. "His name is Lieutenant Surge and he specialises in electric type Pokemon."

"Is that it?" Brock asked. That was not very much information, the teen was sure that there was more data on him than these measly scraps.

"Well there are comments saying he is arrogant, loud and crude, but those can be either exaggerations or part of his strategy in order to throw challengers off... maybe," Ash reasoned. "I also already know that he must be a brutal battle by the amount of Pokemon he seriously injured last time I was here."

"This is going to be difficult," Brock nodded.

Ash did not care how difficult this was going to be because he swore that he would beat this trainer no matter what.

* * *

The next day Ash stood outside the Pokemon gym knowing that he did everything that he could to win. He traded his Pidgeotto and water type Pokemon for Rhyhorn, Dugtrio, Eevee, Mankey and Magnemite.

The gym was a large rectangular building with a smaller rectangular building on top. It has several metal lightning bolts streaking up and down the length of the building proving that Ash's information was correct, the gym specialised in electric types. The large wooden door with a lightning bolt zig-zagging up the middle swung open revealing one woman and two men on the other side. They stood stock still with blank expressions on their faces.

Louise unconsciously stepped behind Ash, trying to hide from the people's gazes, whereas the black haired boy met their stares with one of his own.

"Hello," Ash said in greeting. "I am Ash Ketchum of Pallet town and I have come for a Pokemon battle and to earn a thunder badge."

The man on the right with short, shaved brown hair then smiled in amusement, turning his back to the boy. Yet another challenger for his boss to smash into the ground and grind under his feet.

"Hey Boss," the man then shouted. "Another victim for the emergency room."

From the darkness a voice said, "Which one?" causing Louise's breath to hitch in fear and her grip on Ash's shirt to tighten. This was one of the reasons why she never wanted to battle with her Pokemon and become a master. She did not have the courage to openly challenge someone like this.

The gym leader then walked into the light revealing himself to be an extremely large and muscular man with blonde hair. He wore a silver dog tag around his neck showing that he had been a soldier in the past and could probably break every bone in Ash's body if he wanted to.

"He's huge," Louise muttered from behind Ash.

"This is the gym leader you have to battle," Brock said in surprise. After all, the man looked more like a wrestler or a boxer than a Pokemon gym leader.

Lt Surge opened his arms as if he was about to hug someone and said, "Welcome to the Vermillion gym. So which one is my challenge - I hope it is the cutie with the blonde hair."

Brock stepped closer to Louise who squeezed herself impossibly closer to Ash. She did not like the attention the man gave her. However, at Brock's nearness, she relaxed a bit. It felt nice knowing that these two would not let anything happen to her.

"No, I am," Ash stated seriously.

This caused the large man to smile in amusement. "Oh, you. Okay-," he bellowed as he rubbed Ash's head like he was a two-year-old and not a twelve-year-old. "Baby."

The black haired boy felt his eyebrow twitch in annoyance but then calmed himself. This was just another part of his research that is correct. Lt Surge _was_ loud and rude.

Looking down, the gym leader saw Ash's mouse Pokemon at his feet and laughed. "A Pikachu! Hey, look at this, Baby brought along a baby Pokemon."

The three guards, if that is what they were, also began to laugh as if what Lt Surge said was the funniest thing in the world.

"Stop that," Ash snapped. "Why are you making fun of my Pikachu."

Pulling out a Pokeball, the large blonde man said, "I'll show you why." He then threw his Pokeball at the group, releasing the Raichu inside.

This Pokemon was covered in dark orange fur with a white belly., Its bifurcated ears are brown on the outside and yellow on the inside. There were yellow markings on its cheek where its electric sacks are and it had a triangular, dark brown nose. Not to mention it was more than twice Pikachu's size.

Surge grinned at the boy saying, "Okay, Baby, if you want to quite now is your chance."

Glancing down at Pikachu, Ash saw a fire in his Pokemon's eyes and that was when he knew. He knew what he was trying to say. The yellow mouse Pokemon wanted to prove that to be strong you did not need to evolve. They had trained hard to get where they are and now they had to put that training into action. After all, the pair truly could win if they put their mind to it.

"There is no way we are going to quite," Ash grinned back.

"Ha, what could a baby like that do?" Surge sneered confidently. "If you want to be a Pokemon master then you should evolve your Pokemon as soon as you catch it."

The man then patted his Raichu fondly and realisation spiked through the boy's body like a thunderbolt. This gym trainer was talking from experience, he must have evolved his Pokemon as soon as he could. This meant that they probably did not learn or master all of the speed moves that Raichu could only learn in its Pikachu stage.

They could win this.

* * *

The Vermilion gym grounds were just as flashy and ostentatious than the outside, with lightning bolts scattered everywhere on the walls and ceiling. Ash stood on one side of the area with Brock and Louise, whilst Surge stood on the other side. This was a one on one battle. Raichu vs Pikachu.

"Go, Raichu!" Surge shouted and the large orange Pokemon charged towards Pikachu whipping it with its tail.

Pikachu rolled backwards towards Ash as it cried out in pain, only to quickly get back onto his feet. He was not going to go down easily.

"Give it a body slam," the gym leader ordered not giving Ash room to even think.

The Raichu then loomed over the small Pikachu with a wicked grin on its face and malicious intent in its eyes.

"Dodge using quick attack," Ash said finally getting an order in.

As Raichu's body slammed into the ground, Ash smiled seeing Pikachu was unharmed a metre or so away. The battle had now begun.

"Body slam again Raichu," Surge yelled. He thought that Ash's dodge was luck and that there was no way they would be able to escape a second time. However, he was completely wrong.

"Wait, what?" Surge said in surprise.

Ash grinned at the gym leaders confusion, "You should know to never underestimate your opponents. Pikachu, agility."

The yellow mouse Pokemon shot towards Raichu in a blur as the dark orange Pokemon continued to miss Pikachu with its body slam, resulting in its form constantly smashing into the ground. The two electric types appear as if they were dancing around each other.

"Your Raichu is way to slow Surge," the black haired trainer informed the man.

* * *

On the other side os the gym sat on a bench just behind Ash and to the left a bit, Brock smiled at his friend. When he had first seen the boy he was sure that Ash was just another typical child with barely any battling experience, who wanted to jump straight into winning badges. However, he had turned out to be the opposite. Instead, he spent his first year training all of his Pokemon and, now, the dark skinned teen could clearly see the results of the training. He had never seen a Pikachu move t=so fast or think that well without its trainer orders.

"This is an excellent battle strategy," Brock muttered to Louise, who nodded her agreement.

* * *

Surge frowned, clenching his fist. The battle was not over yet. "Raichu, give it a thunderbolt. Shut it down!"

Powerful blinding yellow thunder ripped through the stone beneath Ash and PIkachu's feet. Raichu's thunder even smashed all of the windows as it lost control in its desperation to win this battle against it pre-evolve form.

"Pikachu, use your tail," Ash shouted through the chaos. Using its tail allowed for the small Pokemon to funnel all of the electricity that he was hit with back into the ground, effectively neutralising the attack.

When Raichu stopped its attack, everyone thought the battle was over and Surge has won. However, as the cloud of dust dissipated revealing Pikachu balancing on his zig-zagged tail, those that were watching were in shock.

* * *

"Amazing," Brock said from where he was sitting. "Pikachu used its tail as a ground to dodge the attack. That was very quick thinking."

Louise nodded shyly and wrapped her arms around herself. Ash she opened her mouth to speak she was surprised when words actually came out. "I would have never thought to do that."

Brock nodded, smiling to himself, knowing that those were the first words the blonde haired girl had said to with without Ash being around. "Not many people would."

* * *

Raichu was now exhausted, so when Surge commanded it to use another thunderbolt attack, Ash was not surprised that all the Pokemon could generate was a couple of sparks.

"Do something," Surge said not sure why his Pokemon could not attack.

"Quick attack, Pikachu," Ash ordered and the yellow mouse Pokemon quickly obeyed. He charged towards the Raichu in a blur.

"Take down now," the gym leader said but Pikachu got there first. He slammed his head into the larger Pokemon's body and then spun in the air, whipping it with his tail.

"Alright, good thinking Pikachu," Ash cheered as he ran into the arena where Pikachu stood proudly over Raichu's fallen body.

Raichu was out of the battle.

* * *

When the battle was over Lt Surge shook the boy's hand saying, "Congratulations, nice job."

"Thank you," Ash smiled

As they stood in the middle of the battlefield, the large man returned his Raichu to its Pokeball in order to rest and then reached into his Pocket. He then went on to say, "As proof of your victory I give you this Thunder badge."

Ash reached out and grasped the eight-pointed golden star badge with an octagon in the centre. He was so thrilled that he had won that he could not help but show it off. So, he held out the badge to his two friends who were now walking over to him and shouted, "I got the Thunder badge."

"That is great, Ash," Brock shouted back, still walking at a leisurely pace.

The boy was half way to the Indigo League with four more badges left to earn. He could not wait to get to the next gym.

"Nice victory, Ash, you are certainly no baby," the gym leader smiled at him. "And here, this is also for you," he then dug out a box the size of the man's large hand from his other pocket. "In case you want to evolve your Pikachu."

The box was opened to reveal a pale green stone with a pastel yellow lightning bolt inside. It was a thunderstone.

"I can't take this," Ash told the man. "Pikachu does not even want to evolve anytime soon."

The gym leader shook his head and shoved the box into the black haired trainer's arms. "Consider it a thank you for pointing out Raichu's weakness. The next time you see us, you will not be able to beat us in the same way."

Ash stared down at the stone, it was one of two that he needed so that he could evolve his Eevee into Jolteon. Therefore, if he accepted it, then he would not have to earn any more money in order to buy it.

"Wow, I..." Ash stumbled over what he was going to say. "I- Thank you so much!"

"You are very welcome, Ash," Surge said with a wide grin.

* * *

Back at the Vermilion Pokemon Centre, Ash stood in front of his Eevee, beaming happily as he held out the thunderstone.

"Ready, Eevee," Ash said, excitement causing his voice to sound even higher than it usually is.

"Eve," the small brown Pokemon said as he nodded his head.

Ash then tapped the rock onto the normal types head and as it Eevee began to glow, the thunderstone turned grey. This was because the radiation in that stone was being absorbed and therefore by the end of Eevee's transformation/ evolution it became nothing more than a grey rock.

When the white light disappeared, a yellow furred Pokemon was revealed. It had a spiky fringe around its tail and a white ruff around its neck. With large pointed ears and a small black nose, it was certainly not an Eevee anymore.

When Ash scanned the Pokemon, Dexter said," **Jolteon, the lightning Pokemon. It accumulates negative ions in the atmosphere to blast out one thousand volt lightning bolts. This Jolteon is male and knows the moves tackle and thundershock."**

Now all Ash needed was a fire stone in order to change his last Eevee into a Flareon.


	31. Chapter 31: Strange Things Do Happen

**Can you believe that this morning I woke up with 27 reviews! Wow, thanks, guys!**

* * *

 **Chapter 31 - Strange Things Do Happen**

The Saffron City gym specialised in psychic type Pokemon. These types were weak against bug, ghost and dark types, which meant in order to have to best advantage whilst fighting the gym leader Ash exchanged his team for Butterfree, Umbreon, Gastly, Parasect and Venomoth.

Sabrina was the gym leader that Ash had to defeat in order to get the Marsh badge. So, he tried his best to research the woman. On the internet, there were many documents about the gym being a place for people to train their own psychic powers, however, there was very little about the Pokemon trainer. In fact apparently, it had been ages since someone had earned a badge from Sabrina.

Saffron gym was a dull looking place with large metal canopies overhead and pale blue walls. Inside the floor was a bluish purple marble with sand yellow walls. That was it. There was no people, plants or Pokemon. It was empty of even furniture.

"Hello, is anybody here!" Ash shouted.

"Hello!" Brock called out as well as the group split up in order to find someone that could help them.

Louise walked over to one of the doors and peeked through the window in hopes of seeing someone working on the other side. She gasped as she saw tables of people wearing white labs coats. They stared fixated on silver spoons trying to get them to bend or played with tarot cards in hopes to reading the future. The others soon joined her in looking through the window shocked at seeing so many people practising their 'psychic powers'.

Ash, Pikachu, Brock and Louise all jumped in surprise as an unknown man snuck up behind them. He had long auburn hair tied loosely at the back of his neck. With small, beady black pupil and a medical mask covering his nose and mouth, it was no wonder the place was almost empty. No challenger would be willing to be greeted by this person. This person that looked either high on drug or psychotic.

"I have come for a Pokemon battle," Ash said as he walked over to the odd man hesitantly.

The man snorted in amusement, "You wish to battle against the great Sabrina?"

"Of course, why would I be here if I wasn't," Ash responded matter-of-factly as if the man was asking him a rather silly question.

"Hum, as you wish," he said and turned to walk away. The man leads Ash and the group through many of the building's corridors, enough so that the black haired boy was sure that he would not be able to find his way back out.

He finally brought the children and Pikachu to the battle room, where the area was yet another simple ground field with purple pillars that help up the ceiling above their heads. Two torches burned brightly on the other side of the room where Sabrina sat. She was behind a dark curtain which caused the group to only be able to see a dark shadowy figure of the person sat behind it.

"This is more of a temple than a Pokemon gym," Brock said out loud.

Louise silently agreed feeling chills creep down her spine. She did not like the ambience of this place. It was too quiet and felt more like a haunted shrine or house than a Pokemon gym. She wanted to get out of this place as soon as she was able.

The man that had been leading the group walked towards the two torches where the gym leader sat beyond the dark screen. He then fell to his knees and said, "Oh great Sabrina, these strangers have come. The boy wished to challenge you." Then as an after thought he muttered, "Though I do not know why you would waste your time on this group of losers."

Ash had started to question whether all gym leaders and their employees were rude and liked to belittle all challengers who wished to fight them. Heck, even Brock had been slightly rude towards Ash and his Pikachu. Maybe it is best they underestimate their opponents or grow to use to the power that their position holds. Either way, it annoyed and irritated him to no end.

The man suddenly stood up, wrapping his hands around his head as his body began to glow and shake. "For- Forgive me great one," he choked out. "It was not my place to decide who you should battle." The glow then stopped and the man ran out the door as fast as he could, never looking back. Was this normal behaviour?

"I accept your challenge, Ash from Pallet town," a high child-like voice said. "But if you lose, you have to let me play with you."

"Um, sure," Ash said not entirely sure what the person was talking about. "How did you know my name?"

"I know many things," the voice said.

Then all the lights in the gym turned on revealing a woman with dark green hair wearing a crimson red buttoned coat. On her lap was a strange doll with teal coloured hair and a white dress that seemed to glow in the shadows as light reflected off of it. The doll held a red and white Pokeball in its hands and smiled ominously. It was almost as if it was alive.

"Come on out Abra," Sabrina said in a monotone. However, this voice was different from the child-like voice Ash and the group had heard just moments ago. This caused them to shiver and eye the doll wearily.

The Pokeball in the dolls hands then floated, bursting open to reveal a Pokemon with a kite-shaped face and a small, pale yellow snout. It had two pointed ears with pale yellow interiors. This Pokemon sat in the middle of the battlefield.

"Only one Pokemon each," Sabrina said.

Then as Ash pulled out one of his Pokeballs, Abra began to evolve into Kadabra. This was a humanoid Pokemon that was primarily yellow. It had two large, pointed ears on top of its head and a red star on its forehead. Its eyes were deep-set and narrow seeming to glare at everyone who looked at it. Extending from its thin snout was two mustache-like tufts of fur. Its torso is segmented with bulky shoulders, a thick, brown chest, and a small abdomen marked by three red, wavy lines. Attached to the Pokémon's abdomen is a large, thick tail encircled with a brown band near its base and in its right hand was a silver spoon.

"Go Gastly," Ash shouted.

"So, you have a ghost Pokemon do you," Sabrina said. "That will not change anything. Kadabra Psybeam."

Gastly turned invisible and dodged the attack on Ash's orders. It then reappeared floating around Sabrina laughing.

"What are you doing Gastly?" Ash shouted. However, the ghost type Pokemon then ignored the boy and started pulling faces and making strange sounds at the woman who stared at it blankly. It then transformed itself into a bomb and exploded in her face, laughing hysterically as he did.

"Gastly, stop!" Ash said. "I thought we talked about these jokes."

The boy then marched over to the ghost and poison type Pokemon in order to stop it from doing that. However, this just resulted in Gastly turning towards Ash and making his eyes pop out of his head and his long tongue brushed the floor.

"Ah!" Ash exclaimed and fell on his backside. "Gastly, stop that!"

The gym leader then did something that she had never do before. She smiled. The smile then broke into laughter, laughing with the ghost type Pokemon and his trainer. Even Kadabra was rolling with laughter.

To think that Gastly defeated Kadabra with laughter! What was going on?

* * *

In the end, since Sabrina and Kadabra could not stop laughing Ash won the battle. It was the strangest thing that had very happened to the boy, yet it had the benefit of earning him the Marsh badge. However, at the same time, it did not feel like he had earned it.

This badge consisted of two concentric golden circles and was the first in three years to be given to a trainer. Apparently, those trainers who arrived in Saffron City soon left not willing to challenge the psychic-type gym out of fear. At least the badge proved that he was not afraid to challenge a gym like Sabrina's.

When Ash thought about it, though, it meant that Gary did not earn a Marsh badge, but then where did he get his eighth, ninth and tenth badge from. Where their other gyms that were league approved but not as well known as the city gyms? Maybe there were gyms in small towns.

* * *

Riding their bikes down the road and away from Saffron City, the group were passing through the forest when they came across a fork in the road. Ash recalled that he should take the left fork, however, when the three humans and one Pokemon set off in that direction an old lady came walking down the right fork.

"Hey," she shouted at them, hitching the black sack on her shoulder up higher. She wore a white, purple and pink skirt that brushed the ground and a white shirt. Her skin was wrinkled with age and her hair was now a light grey, covered with a floral scarf. "Are you going down that road?"

"Yes, we are," Ash called back perplexed at why the grey haired woman saw a problem with this.

"Oh no! You do not want to go down that road," she answered the black haired boy's unasked question. "There is a wild rampaging Scyther down that way. My friend George swore that when he went in there it nearly took his head off."

After finishing what she was saying, the old woman continued to hobble down her own path, not caring if the group took heed of her warning or not.

"Are you sure we should go this way Ash," Louise asked looking at the boy who led the group on their journey.

"This is the quickest way to Celadon City, if we take the other route it will take more than a few days to get their, even when on a bike," Ash explained. "Besides, I think we should check it out. Maybe we can help."

Ash's friends nodded their heads in reluctant agreement and rode behind the boy and his Pikachu.

The forest was dark with large looming trees and thick unruly bushes that covered half the path in some areas. The forest probably hadn't been maintained by other Pokemon for a while now due to the disturbance that the Scyther caused.

"Bang. Bang. Bang." The sound of falling trees crashing into the ground reverberated through the forest, causing Pidgey to scatter and Caterpie to hide in tree hollows.

"It came from over there," Brock yelled and pointed in the direction that the noise came from.

When they got closer, the group saw an insectoid Pokemon with a green body. On the back of its somewhat reptilian head were three points and it had narrow eyes. It forearms consisted of large, white scythes, which the Pokemon used to slice through tree trunks like a hot knife through butter.

"What is it doing?" Ash muttered watching the Pokemon.

"I don't know," Brock said. "But it doesn't look like it is harming anyone, just scaring the other Pokemon a bit."

With Brock's statement, Louise looked around and noticed that all the forest Pokemon were hiding. They all trembled in hollow trunks and under bushes, not wanting to get involved in whatever the grass and flying type Pokemon was doing.

Ash the black haired boy watched the green Pokemon as it slashed, ducked and weaved, he realised something. Those movements are similar to what a Pokemon would battle with. It was training itself, it was not in a rage, it just wanted to get stronger.

Suddenly, Ash shouted, "Hey, Scyther." The Mantis Pokemon turned its head to the boy giving him its undivided attention, whereas Louise and Brock stared at the boy as if he had lost his mind and took a rather large step back from him. Ash ignored the actions of his friends and continued, "If you want to train, how about you battle my Pokemon."

After a moment, Scyther took a battle stance in front of the boy and waited. Ash, smiling at the Pokemon, reached for a random Pokeball and said, "I choose you!"

It was Umbreon who faced off against the bug and flying type Pokemon who attacked with the blades of its arms. It cut and slashed at the dark Pokemon who dodged and weaved its way out of the attacks. Little did Ash know that in this Scythers mind all that it could hear was its trainer's voice.

 _"You are weak. I don't need you anymore."_

The words replayed again and again in the mantis Pokemon's head, making its anger rise.

"Umbreon, use tackle," Ash ordered.

For a second Scyther's eyes flashed red with rage that it had kept pent up even while training. It had been fifty-seven days since its trainer left and it finally decided to release those feelings now that it had a proper opponent.

The swipes became hard and faster as the bug Pokemon put all of its heart into the battle. In fact, Scyther put so much power into its arms that they glowed a heavenly white. With one slash of these fast shining arms, Umbreon was unable to battle.

"That was X-Scissor," Brock said in amazement. "A very powerful buy type move."

"Awesome," Ash shouted and returned his exhausted Umbreon to its Pokeball. "You did great," he said to him.

Scyther looked down on its own, now, normal arms. A powerful move, it thought frowning, but it needed to be even stronger. Maybe fighting this trainer will make it as strong as it needs to be. After all, that was the first time it had to use the move, despite having been training for fifty-seven days straight.

"Scy," the Pokemon said nodding to Ash. "Scyther."

Ash grinned," You still want to battle, huh."

"Scyther," the mantis Pokemon nodded again, crouching down in its fighting stance.

"Well, okay then," Ash shouted. "Gastly, I choose you!"

The gas Pokemon emerged from its red and white ball, smiling as it hovered in the air. He had not thought that his trainer would call him to battle again for a while due to what happened at the last gym, but he was happy that he had. Now, Gastly can really show Ash would he could do.

Scyther once again used X-Scissor, trying out its new move. However, before the hit lands the ghost and poison type Pokemon vanished and reappeared behind it. This was what Gastly usually did with or without his trainer's orders. This was how he dodged an attack. After all, if the Pokemon could not see him then there is less chance of a follow-up attack or them adjusting the attack to hit him.

"Gastly, use lick," Ash ordered.

The gas Pokemon smiled and stuck out its tongue, licking the green Pokemon's spine. Scyther then stumbled forward in shock, feeling its body go heavy with the poison or whatever was in the attack. All it could think was, not yet. It was not defeated yet. It then shook off the poison and attacked Gastly with all it had.

Unfortunately, the ghost type Pokemon did not expect this and was slammed into the tree behind it.

"Gastly, use sucker punch," Ash said, punching his fist out in emphasis.

As the twisting fist was thrown towards Scyther it hit its mark. The mantis Pokemon fell tot he ground, no longer able to fight despite how much it wanted to. Even as it pushed itself up onto its forearms, it collapsed back down to the ground again with no more energy left to spare.

"Brock, hurry and help me," Ash shouted and the pair ran over to help the collapsed Pokemon. It was then that the boy realised that Scyther had probably been training itself non-stop. There were scratches and bruises in various stages of healing and more scars than any Pokemon should have, however, most of these blended in quite well with the Pokemon green body.

"It trained itself into the ground," Brock stated shaking his head. "But why?"

* * *

After the Scyther was healed and ordered, by a very serious Brock, to be more careful and relax more, the bug and flying type Pokemon watched the group go.

It glanced around itself and finally understood that it could not get any stronger where it was now. For fifty-seven days it had trained with barely any improvement and then after meeting that black haired boy it had managed to carry out and learn a very powerful move.

So, with that in mind, the Pokemon trailed behind the group. It was going to stay with them, but only until it was strong enough to rejoin its trainer.


	32. Chapter 32: Rainbow Badge & Missing Kids

**Hey, guys, I hope you had a great Christmas and Happy New Year!**

 _ **ALSO, AS YOU CAN TELL THIS CHAPTER HAS NO TITLE... PLEASE HELP ME THINK OF ONE!**_

 **Ash's Pokemon**

 **1)*Pikachu - Male - Electric -** **Growl, Thundershock, Quick attack, Tail whip, Agility, Shockwave, Iron tail**

 **2) Pidgeotto - Female - Flying, Normal -** **Tackle, Sand attack, Cross/wind cutter, Agility, Quick attack**

 **3) Raticate - Female - Normal -** **Tackle, Tail whip, Quick attack, Hyper fang, Bite**

 **4) Mankey - Male - Fighting -** **Focus blast, Leer, Low kick, Scratch, Fury swipes**

 **5) Gloom - Male - Grass, poison -** **Absorb, Petal dance, Stun spore, Poison powder**

 **6) *Butterfree - Male -Bug, Flying -** **Poison powder, Gust, Sleep powder, Confusion**

 **7) Rhyhorn - Female - Ground, Rock -** **Horn attack, Fury attack, Scary face, Stomp, Shockwave**

 **8) Golbat - Female - Poison, Flying -** **Supersonic, Bite, Air Slash, Poison Fang**

 **9) Poliwag - Female - Water -** **Water gun, Dig, Double slap, Bubble**

 **10) Shiny Gyarados - Female - Water -** **Thrash, Hydro pump**

 **11) Bulbasaur - Male - Grass, Poison -** **Vine whip, Growl, Tackle, Razor leaf**

 **12) Charmeleon - Male - Fire -** **Scratch, Fire fang, Ember, Smokescreen**

 **13) Squirtle - Male - Water -** **Tackle, Water gun, Withdraw**

 **14) Seadra - Male - Water -** **Smokescreen, Leer, Bubble, Hydro pump**

 **15) Bellsprout - Female - Grass, Poison -** **Vine whip, Wrap, Poison powder, Razor leaf**

 **16) *Gastly - Male - Ghost, Poison -** **Lick, Spite, Confuse ray, Sucker punch**

 **17) *Parasect - Male - Bug, Grass -** **Poison powder, Stun spore, Leech life, Fury cutter**

 **18)Nidorina - Female - Poison -** **Poison sting, horn attack, double kick, Fury attack**

 **19)Muk - Male - Poison -** **Poison gas, Mud-slap, Sludge**

 **20) Magnemite - N/A - Electric, Steel -** **Thundershock, Sonic boom, Thunder wave, Magnet bomb**

 **21) Dugtrio - Male - Ground -** **Dig, Sand attack, Tri attack**

 **22) Ponyta - Female - Fire -** **Tackle, Flame wheel, Stomp, Fire spin**

 **23) Espeon - Female - Psychic -** **Tackle, Quick attack, Swift, Confusion, Psybeam**

 **24) Eevee - Male - Normal -** **Sand attack, Quick attack, Bite, Takedown**

 **25) *Umbreon - Male - Dark -** **Pursuit, Tackle, Confuse ray**

 **26) Glaceon - Male - Ice -** **Tackle, Icy wind, Quick Attack, Ice fang**

 **27)Jolteon - Male - Electric -** **Tackle, Thundershock**

 **28) Snorlax - Male - Normal -** **Belch, Chip away, Body slam, Rollout**

 **29) Jigglypuff - Female - Normal, Fairy -** **Sing, Double slap, Roll**

 **30) *Venomoth - Male - Poison, Bug -** **Supersonic, Tackle, Silver wind, Psybeam, Solar beam?**

 **31) Togepi - Female - Fairy**

 **32) Spearow - Flying, Normal**

 **33) Clefairy - Fairy -** **Moon blast, Disarming voice, Metronome**

 **34) Tangela - Male - Grass -** **Constrict, Sleep powder**

 **35) Dratini - Male - Dragon -** **Dragon pulse, Ice beam, Wrap**

 **Louise's Pokemon**

 **1) Squirtle - Female - Water -** **Tackle, Tail whip, Water gun**

 **2) Cubone - Male - Ground -** **Bone club, Headbutt**

 **Brock's Pokemon**

 **1)Geodude -**

* * *

 **Chapter 30**

Finally, at Celadon City, the group (now including Scyther) went straight to the Pokemon Centre to have Ash's team revitalised for the next battle. He had decided to keep all of his Pokemon the same this time around as grass types, which this gym specialises in, are weak against some of the Pokemon he has with him.

Louise also had her Pokemon looked over. She had followed some of Ash's training methods to help them get stronger. However, it also left them exhausted and on the verge of collapsing.

The Celadon gym looked more like a greenhouse than a place to challenge a leader. With the walls made up of glass panels that absorbed the sunlight and lush green plants inside it, how could this place be a gym? The air was stiflingly thick, kept at a temperature most plants and flowers thrived in, but certain not humans.

Ash walked over to the first person that he saw, which was a blue haired woman with dark brown eyes.

"Hi," Ash said to her. "I am Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town and I am here to challenge the leader of Celadon gym."

"Oh, of course," the woman said clapping her hands together in a happy yet relaxed gesture. "Follow me."

As the woman began to lead the way an infatuated Brock followed closely behind. He swayed from side to side as if dizzy or drunk, yet Ash and Louise knew that the teen was neither. No, in fact, he had a strange ability to just fall in love at the drop of a hat. Or at least lust.

"I would follow you anywhere," he said in a dreamy tone.

Ash and Louise followed behind their friend snickering as they listened to his cheesy flirting attempts. You could not blame the teenager for trying, though.

The blue haired woman then walked into an empty area, standing in the trainer's box on the far side and indicating for Ash to do the same. The field was once again a standard dirty battleground with white lines. Around them were trees and plants. Some Ash recognised such as the Magna plant and the Tropicplant, however, most of them were unknown to him. After all, he was not a plant expert and nor did he aim to be one.

"I am Erika," the blue haired woman introduced herself. "I accept your challenge. The battle will be three against three, substitutes are allowed." This surprised Ash. Why did she just not say that she was the gym leader, to begin with?

"I did not know you were the gym leader," Ash muttered before shouting, "Okay, let's battle!"

With Brock and Louise on the sidelines, the black haired boy pulled out his first Pokeball.

"Tangela, go," the grass trainer said and threw her Pokeball, which landed in the certain of the area.

"Parasect, I choose you," Ash said tossing his own red and white ball onto the field.

"Tangela, use constrict," Erika the gym leader said.

The vine Pokemon reached out for Ash's Pokemon and wrapped its blue appendages around the mushroom Pokemon's body.

"Parasect, stun spore," Ash ordered.

Then a cloud of reddish yellow powder was released from the mushroom on Parasects back. As Tangela breathed in the spore-filled air, its body froze stiff, making the Pokemon unable to move. Round one, to Ash.

"Return, Tangela," Erika said and brought the ball to her mouth as she whispered, "I will give you some paralysed heal so you can get better soon."

The gym leader then released Weeping bell, which had a yellow, bell-shaped body with a single green leaf on either side. It had a wide, gaping mouth with pink lips and circular eyes. Above its eyes is a pattern of three green circulate spots and a small hook-shaped stem.

"Okay," Ash said and quickly returned Parasect, calling out his Venomoth.

"Weepingbell, use razor leaf, now, " Erika commanded.

Immediately, the flower Pokemon began to twirl and shoot sharp leaves from its body. However, this was easily counteracted by Venonmoth's psybeam which turned all the leaves to dust in a matter of seconds.

"Yes, way to go, now use tackle," Ash cheered, happy that he still has the upper hand.

The purple poison moth Pokemon swept through the air, speeding towards the Weepingbell and directly hitting the Pokemon. Erika gasped in shock as her Pokemon shot back towards the edge of the battlefield and collapsed to the ground. However, despite her sadness over her Weepingbell getting hurt, she wasted no time calling it back to its Pokeball.

The woman then turned around and said to the boy," Your battle skills are impressive Ash, but there is one thing you do not have; empathy with your Pokemon."

Ash frowned at the woman. How could she say something like that about someone she had not even know for an hour. He did not go around saying that she was a rubbish trainer because he had beaten two of her three Pokemon. The woman stood there in her forest green dress, judging him.

He hated it.

"Now, I am going to give you a good lesson in empathy," she said and threw her last Pokemon. "Gloom go!"

The Pokemon that emerged from the ball instantly released a stomach churning small that threatened to burn Venomoth and Ash's nose off. So with one hand pinching his nostrils closed the boy returned the purple moth Pokemon back to its Pokeball.

"Butterfree, come out and use gust," Ash ordered.

After a sufficient amount of time had passed, the black haired boy and his friends tested the air around them. Relief sweeping through everyone as the smell had vanished.

"Great Butterfree, now use confusion," Ash ordered.

The buy and flying type Pokemon stared intently at the weed Pokemon carefully willing the Pokemon to fall into a state of confusion. If you looked close enough the butterfly Pokemon's eyes seemed to glow a bright bluish white.

Gloom then began to stumble around, walking in zig-zagged movements as if it was drunk.

"Gloom, snap out of it," Erika said, trying to break the Butterfree's hold on her Pokemon. "Gloom."

"Now, use sleep powder," Ash said.

Blue dust fell from the butterfly Pokemon's wings, covering the weed Pokemon. It was not long before the substance was inhaled by the confused Pokemon, who then stumbled to the ground asleep.

"Good job, Butterfree," Ash laughed as he ran over to the Pokemon.

Erika returned her Gloom to its Pokeball and slowly made her way over to the black haired boy and his Butterfree.

"For a great battle, I present you with a Rainbow badge," she said and handed him a small metal badge shaped like a flower, showing grass with rainbow coloured petals.

"Thank you," the boy nodded and then turned to Butterfree. "Take a look, we earned a Rainbow badge."

This meant that Ash now had six of the eight badges and then he would be able to enter the Pokemon League in plenty of time.

* * *

Ash, Pikachu, Brock, Louise and Scyther found themselves passing through yet another City after the boys battle with Erika the Celadon City gym leader. This City had concrete paved sidewalks and large towering building, like every other City the group had passed through. They were in HopHopHop Town, where the sky was barely visible unless you were standing on top of one of their skyscrapers.

It was as they were riding through that they spotted a wall filled with posters. Posters of missing children. There were pictures of brown haired brown eyed boys and red haired, black eyes girls. Lisa, Robin, Ben... the list went on and on.

How could all these Children have gone missing? And all in the past week.

The Officer Jenny of this town pulled up in front of the wall muttering to herself. "They certainly were nice children, all of them," she said. "Disappearing one by one like that I just can't understand it."

She then swung her leg off her motorcycle and pulled out a roll of paper from her bag. Unravelling it, Ash saw that it was another missing poster with a blonde haired, green eyed girl in the picture. Summer.

Suddenly, Brock's face turned red and the oldest boy dumped his green bike onto the ground. In a blink of an eye, he was standing in front the teal haired Jenny whispering, "This one is the most beautiful yet." He then said louder, "It must be terrible searching for all these lost children. I would be very happy to help you in your search."

"What!" Jenny questioned awkwardly. "Don't get in the way, I have a job to do."

Ash sighed and leant over to Louise, "Looks like we will be helping as well." The blonde nodded her agreement.

In the end, Brock (with Ash, Pikachu, Louise and Scyther in tow) followed Officer Jenny to the Pokemon Centre. It was just as the boy remembered, bright red with a large 'P' at the front and a huge satellite dish on its side. On the other side of the building appeared to be an alien spaceship with three antennae sticking out.

"I have a feeling the other children may know what is going on," the policewoman told the group.

Each member of the group was given a photo of a missing child and wondered around the Pokemon Centre in search of someone to question. The talked with trainers, school kids and adults. There were lots of people around so they were bound to get lucky.

It was when the teal haired Officer Jenny questioned two young boys that they finally found a lead.

"Have you seen this boy?" the woman asked the small boys.

The two boy both wore shorts and were about the same height. however, the boy on the right wore blue shorts with a white t-shirt and red trainers. His eyes and hair were coal black. The boy on the left wore red shorts with a blue t-shirt and light blue shoes. His hair was brown whilst his eyes were black.

They stood staring at the photo for a long time until the black haired kid said, "Yeah, I play with him all the time."

Getting excited at finally finding information on the missing boy, Officer Jenny immediately asked, "When was the last time you saw him?"

"I don't know," the boy said and looked worriedly over at his friend.

Ash, Pikachu and Scyther made their way over to the Nure Joy of HopHopHop Town, hoping that she would have more information. The picture that the boy held was a brown haired girl who smiled widely into the camera with confidence that only came from the innocence of youth.

"Hellow, Nurse Joy," he greeted the pinked haired Pokemon healer. He then showed her the picture, "We are here about the missing children."

The woman's smile deflated slightly, "Oh, you mean those children that disappeared all of a sudden." She then sighed and looked down at her desk glumly, "I saw it on the news. It is such a shame."

"Do you know anything about this child?" Ash asked watching from the corner of his eye as the green Scyther began to grow restless, its arms twitching dangerously.

"I would like to help, but I have been too busy with my own mystery and have not been able to concentrate much on the children that come in and out of the Centre," Nure Job said apologetically.

"What do you mean?" Ash frowned hoping it was nowhere near as terrible as the mystery he was already trying to solve.

"All the Pokemon in this Centre are behaving very strangely," she informed them, not even caring for the confidentiality that the Pokemon Centre must up hold. She was not supposed to divulge information on weather the Centres have a disease out break or are unable to take care of their patients. It would cause an out cry. "Follow me," she then said to the boy and his Pokemon.

Nurse Joy led Ash, Pikachu and Scyther into one of the many observation rooms, which had one large bed sitting in the middle of the room. However, instead of a large, soft, bouncy mattress, four Pokemon lay on a metal sheet. The first Pokemon was a Cubone whose eyes squinted at Ash but was unable to move its body. The second was an Oddish, who's green stems slumped lifelessly to the metal bed beneath it. The third was a Magikarp, who was still and quiet, instead of happy splashing and rolling all over the place. However, the worst Pokemon by far was the Charmander, whose flame looked like a small breeze would put out, thus killing the Pokemon in the process.

"And this one has been in just terrible shape," Nurse Joy announced as she turned around to show the boy a yellow Pokemon resembling a duck, with tufts of black hair on top of its head. It had a wide, flat, cream-coloured beak. It had vacant eyes, and its legs, arms and tail are stubby. It was a Psyduck.

"So, what is causing all of this?" Ash asked.

However, Nurse Joy just shook her head and told him, "I have no idea."

"How long ago was it that they started acting like this?" Officer Jenny said as she walked through the door. "Good work, Ash."

"Since about a week ago," the pink haired nurse said.

Ash gasped silently, it was too much of a coincidence that the Pokemon started acting weird at the same time the first few children went missing.

Suddenly, a device in Jenny's pocket began to vibrate and the black haired boy craned his neck to look at it. It was a radio and on the screen showed a drastically fluctuating line. That should be happening, right?

"This is a sleep wave detector," Jenny said to the froup. "Lately there has been lots of sleep waves beeing picked up, so all Officers in the City have been instructed to keep them on hand."

Sleep wave is waves of compression and rarefaction by which a soothing sound can bring someone into a deep delta sleep. Now that Ash thought about it even Scyther seemed to be losing its energy and Pikachu was leaning heavily against his neck.

Following Officer Jenny's device lead Ash, Louise, Brock and the Pokemon to a large skyscraper in the middle of the city. It stretched to about twenty floors high with glass windows making up its four walls.

"This is where the sleep waves are coming from," the teal haired cop announced looking up at the building. "I bet we will find something on the roof."

Ash nodded his agreement as Brock shouted, "Let's go."

The group took the elevator up towards the roof, crammed into the small metal container. When the elevator dinged indicating that the group have reached their destination and the doors opened, everyone stepped out.

Looking in the direction that the device was pointing too, Ash and Brock gasped in awe as their eyes trailed to a large pink, gold and blue mansion. With two towers in the back, attached to the building, thin narrow bushes and a water fountain, the boys thought he had never seen anything so majestic. Who on earth lived in a mansion on top of a skyscraper?

"It's coming from inside there," Officer Jenny said and began to walk towards the door.

Brock, in his attempt to prove himself to the teal haired policewoman, threw his body into the large oak doors. The doors burst open, causing the occupants inside to gasp in fright. These people dressed in luxurious, overpriced clothes with jewels so expensive that Ash could sell everything he owned and still not afford one of the small gems on one of the woman's fingers.

In the Centre of the room sat two yellow Pokemon. The first small Pokemon resembled a tapir. It had tired-looking eyes, a short trunk above its mouth and triangular ears. The upper half of its body was yellow while the lower half was brown. The other Pokemon was humanoid with completely yellow skin, two triangular ears on top of its head and two sleepy looking eyes with a large nose underneath. It had five fingers in each hand and held a pendulum in its left.

"What is this place?" Brock exclaimed stumbling back slightly.

"What is going on here?" Ash muttered.

When an old man walked towards the group wearing a blue suit and a monocle, they stiffened.

"Are you new members?" he said in an aged, withered voice.

"No, we were monitoring sleep waves coming from up here," Officer Jenny informed the man.

The old man leant forward and squinted at the group through his glasses. "Sleep waves," he muttered. "Oh, I know. Hypno must have been emitting them."

"Hypno," Louise whispered and took out her Pokedex.

 **"Hypno, the hypnosis Pokemon. It carries a pendulum-like device and performs hypnotic attacks."**

She then turned her Pokedex to the other Pokemon.

 **"Drowzee, the hypnosis Pokemon. Put enemies to sleep then eats their dreams. Occasionally, it gets sick from eating bad dreams."**

"A Hypno is the evolved form of a Drowzee, isn't it?" Brock questioned.

"Why yes, that is correct," the old man said. "And our Drowzee finally evolved into Hypno a week ago."

The group gasped. That was when the Children started going missing and the Pokemon started losing energy. The old rich man then went on to explain that they had been using the Pokemon instead of sleep medicine. Apparently, living in the city was very stressful, so these people created the Pokemon lovers club to rely on Hypno's powers to cure their insomnia. However, the people did not realise that the psychic type Pokemon's sleep waves were affecting all the Pokemon.

Ash lifted his Pikachu up to the old man and said, "Take a look at my Pikachu, he has no energy and the same thing is happening to all the Pokemon in the Pokemon Centre."

"It must be a side effect," Brock concluded.

"Hypno's powers are usually used only on other Pokemon, but since it had to change the wavelength to affect humans it is creating a side effect for the Pokemon," Brock nodded to himself. "And I bet those wavelengths affect some of the children who are sensitive to it too."

Ash listened to the teen's explanation as he walked towards the two psychic Pokemon with Scyther dragging its feet behind the boy. It was surprising that the buy and flying Pokemon was able to stay awake and semi-conscious. However, Scyther just saw this as another way to prove that he was stronger.

"But we still have a problem," Ash said aloud. "Where did all the children go? If they had just fallen asleep on the way home then they would not be missing."

"True," Brock said frowning. "Then the only way to find them is far a kid to be hypnotised and we can follow them."

The black haired boy sighed, he was not going to like this.

Slowly he made his way over to the Hypno and stared fixedly at the swing object. It was not long before his mind went blank of all thought.

The group watched as Ash crouched onto the floor and began to exclaim, "Pi-ka-chu."

Louise stared at the boy in shock and watched as he ran out of the door. Jenny, Brock, the old man and herself followed after the boy leaving behind the exhausted Scyther and Pikachu.

He ran through the park, past large trees and short bushes until he reached a lake. Surrounding him were the missing children. A red haired girl was splashing around in a puddle exclaiming, "Magikarp," whilst a brunette girl in a pink dress muttered, "Gloom," as she sat between the bushes.

"What do we do now?" asked Officer Jenny having never been in this situation before.

"Drowzee can cure them," the old man suddenly said. "Drowzee's wavelengths may be able to counteract Hypno's."

"That might just work," Brock said.

* * *

Arriving back at the skyscraper mansion, the group placed Ash (who thought he was a Pikachu) in a chair in front of the Drowzee. The Pokemon rotated its hands emitting its dream waves. The waves shimmered through the air, moving towards the black haired boy as if they were hovering in the air. Eventually, Ash's body slumped into a deep trance, then jumped awake as if woken by a nightmare.

"Huh," the boy said disorientated. He then snapped back to reality. "What happened? Did you find them?" he asked almost desperate, hoping that he did not get himself hypnotised for no reason.

"We found them," Officer Jenny confirmed. "Now we know that Drowzee can cure the effects we should get it to help the others and by the end of the day the children should be safe back home, where they belong."

"Alright," Ash cheered. "And it should cure all the Pokemon too."


	33. Chapter 33: The Grand Prix

**Chapter 33**

After Drowzee woke up all the children, the group worked on reviving the Pokemon at the Centre, Scyther and Pikachu. However, for the psychic type Pokemon, this was easy and in a matter of moments, all the Pokemon were as lively as ever. Oddish jumped up and down, now full of energy. Charmander's fire burned with vigour. Magikarp flailed dumbly and Cubone swatted its weapon through the air. The only Pokemon left was Psyduck. However, Psyduck did not act any better after Drowzee;s treatment. It still held its head and stared fixedly into space.

Brock crouched down in front of the Pokemon and said to Nurse Joy, with hearts in his eyes, "I want to be the world's best Pokemon breeder, maybe I can help it."

So, in the end, Ash's group grew even more with Louise, Brock, Pikachu, Scyther and Psyduck now joining him on his adventure. However, at least, he can say that it was never boring. In fact, he was so much happier travelling with people than without them. It was nice to have humans to talk to while on his journey to become Pokemon Master.

Walking out of the City with the water type following behind, Ash cut off Brock's complaining by saying, "You said you could help it, Brock."

"I know," the teen sighed.

Louise curious about the Pokemon moved to scan it with her Pokedex, listening as the robotic voice said, **" Psyduck, the duck Pokemon. While lulling its enemies with its vacant look, this wily Pokemon will use psychokinetic powers. It is always be tormented with headaches."**

"So, that is why you always cradle your head," Louise muttered to herself. "You poor thing."

As she was about to get back onto her feet she wobbled and lost her balance. This caused the blonde haired girl to fall on her backside, resulting in a loose Pokeball to roll towards the yellow duck Pokemon.

Psyduck then bent down and poked at the red and white ball, until it accidently pressed the capture and release button, stupidly catching itself inside. Louise had gained a Pokemon without even trying.

"Well, that is one way to catch a Pokemon," Ash joked causing Louise to break through her shock. Oh well, it was not a Pokemon she had desired but it was hers now all the same.

* * *

As Ash and the group were walking towards the next gym, they came across a Hitmonchan. It was throwing punches at an invisible opponent just as Scyther had been when it was training. Behind the fighting, Pokemon was a man who was well muscled and wore nothing but a white wifebeater and tracksuit bottoms.

"Never let your guard down, Hitmonchan. Kepp your arms up," the man said.

"Um, who are you?" Ash muttered confusedly as to why the man would train his Pokemon in the middle of the road.

"I am Anthony and I am training with Hitmonchan to win the P1 Grand Prix. My gym is over there if you want a battle," the man told the group in much more detail than they were expecting. All Ash asked was who are was, not what his life story was.

"Scyther! Scy," the bug and flying Pokemon suddenly said.

"Well, it looks like Scyther's up for a challenge," Ash laughed.

The P1 Grand Prix was the same as last year, and this time Ash was going to enter his Mankey. However, if the green Pokemon wanted to fight, who would stand in as its trainer?... Ash shrugged, he would sort that out later.

* * *

Inside the fighting centre/ gym was lots of exercise equipment, from weights to pull up bars. Displayed in the middle of the back wall was a vibrant post of a Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee with the words 'P1 Grand Prix' in black bold capitals. The reward for winning the tournament was a golden belt that resembles the Machop family's belt.

"Let's enter," Brock said and Ash quickly nodded his head.

"I want to use my Mankey," Ash said. "It will then have more hand to hand fighting experience this way, even if we do not win."

"Scy!" the bug and flying type Pokemon demanded.

"I don't know if they will let Scyther fight. I mean it has blades on its arms..." Brock said causing the Pokemon to rage. It shouted and waved its arms in the air, not taking no for an answer.

"Well, we can try," the black haired boy said calming the mantis Pokemon down a bit. "Louise could be its trainer."

"I suppose," Brock said. "And I could enter Geodude."

Upon entering the competition, it was discovered that Scyther was not allowed to battle, meaning that Louise would have to sit out on this one, much to her relief. The blonde haired girl was given Pikachu to look after as she, and the annoyed green Pokemon, were led to their seats in the crowd. Ash silently promised to battle with the depressed Pokemon later. Maybe it would help it get rid of the frustration that was probably building up.

The two boys then had to sign up and take a place on the stage with their Pokemon standing in front of them.

"This year's top contestants of the P1 Grand Prix are now entering the ring," the announcer said as the image of a ball opened and revealed the man Ash and the group met just earlier that day.

"First is our number one contender Hitmonchan and his trainer Anthony," the announcer continued. "Our second contender is Hitmonlee and his trainer Giant."

The two fighting Pokemon looked rearing to go, demonstrating some of their moves to the crowd as their trainers waved in greeting. The audience cheered and clapped, showing their appreciation.

"Now, ladies and gentlemen, we have two new trainers competing this year. So, please, welcome Ash and Brock, with their Pokemon Mankey and Geodude."

The two boys shyly waved to the crowd as lights blinded them, it was an odd experience, being on stage that is. However, as the two looked at their Pokemon it was clear they were enjoying the attention. Mankey hopped from one foot to the other not able to keep still, whilst Geodude shook its fists into the air.

The announcer then went on to name the other competitors and their Pokemon. With every second passing causing Ash to feel more and more anxiety. It was like he hands been made to swallow a pile of rocks and could now feel them weighing his stomach down. It was strange how the boy felt nervous now and not at one of his Pokemon battles (that, in his mind, mattered a lot more).

Finally, Ash was in the ring facing off a Machomp with his Mankey. This Pokemon was humanoid with grey skin and three brown ridges on its head. It has large red eyes and a relatively flat face. The fighting types chest was thin making three ribs visible on each side.

The ring itself was a square platform with a wooden floor that was lined with blue fabric and a little bit of cushioning. At the four corners were white elastic cords to cage the Pokemon off, which were tethered to four black pillars. The ring had fabric dropping to the floor, which made up some kind of skirt that prevented people from seeing underneath it.

"And now for our first match; Machop is ready to battle against Mankey!"

"Mankey," the pig monkey Pokemon growled at its opponent.

"Machop," sneered the other fighting type.

Then the bell rung, indicating the fight to begin.

The humanoid blue Pokemon lunged for Mankey instantly, hands punching and chopping at him, forcing the Pokemon to sway from side to side in order to avoid the attack. However, Machop just seemed to get faster and faster, until its fists connected with the other Pokemon's face.

Mankey flew back into the corner black pillar, anger flooding its veins. It wanted revenge for that hit. NOW!

So, the pig monkey Pokemon shot towards Machop, attempting a kick, but was only caught in the other Pokemon's hands. When Ash's Pokemon was in the clutches of the other Pokemon it began to spin, getting ready for a seismic toss. However, as the Machop let go the Pokemon did something that no one expected.

When in the air Mankey took advantage and grabbed onto one of the elastic cords that surrounded the arena. This created a sling shot sending the Pokemon hurtling towards Machop at a much faster speed than he was sent flying.

Ash sighed in relief when Mankey's punch connected. It was their first real hit. "That's it, Mankey, now use scratch," the boy shouted, hoping his Pokemon could hear him over the roar of the crowd.

However, he did not need to worry. The pig Pokemon swiped at his opponent and the leapt into the air, using the Machops body to boost him higher.

"Fury swipes," Ash orders.

Gravity did its work as Mankey readied his claws. Then, when he got close enough he sent two hard, long slashes down the Pokemon's face, and then continued to attack other weak points such as the neck. Machop fell to the ground, unable to continue fighting.

"Yes!" Ash said triumphantly under his breath.

"And this match is over!" the announcer suddenly said as the crowd broke into applause and cheering. Ash had never heard such as thunderous sound. "Machop is down and out. Oh, what is this?"

Ash noticed long before the announcer that Mankey was beginning to evolve. Its body grew taller and larger and when the white glow received, there were very little differences between the two forms of Mankey and Primeape. He still had the round body covered in whitish, shaggy fur and a pink, snout-like nose. In fact, the only visible differences were the brownie-black metal shackles on its arms and legs, which were weights. Also, its hands resembled mittens.

"Can you believe it!" the announcer shouted. "Mankey just evolved into Primeape. What an amazing battle it must have been."

After Ash and Primeape left the arena, Hitmonlee, Geodude, Brock and Anthony entered.

It was during this time that the black haired boy scanned his newly evolved Pokemon. **"Primeape, the pig monkey Pokemon. Always furious and tenacious to boot. It will not abandon chasing its quarry until it is caught. This Primeape is male and knows the moves leer, low kick, scratch, fury swipes and karate chop."**

"We are so going to win this," Ash said enthusiastically.

Unfortunately, Brock and Geodude did not win and so he stayed on the sidelines watching battle after battle. Poliwhirl vs Machoke, Machamp vs Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee vs Machoke. Ash and Primeape were now set to fight Machamp who had won his fight against the Hitmonchan, which was then followed by a battle between Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee, who won theirs as well.

Machamp was a humanoid Pokemon with four well-muscled arms and greyish, blue skin. It had red eyes, pale yellow lips and three, brown ridges right above its eyes.

"Machamp, karate chop," the Pokemon trainer said.

"Dodge it and use fury swipes," Ash counteracted.

The two Pokemon did as they were told, however, Primeape was becoming frustrated when his opponent would not give it room to carry out an attack. When one arm is chopping the other three are blocking, suffocating the pig monkey Pokemon.

"Get behind Machamp and use low kick," Ash said.

Primeape ducked the large humanoid Pokemon's karate chop and swerved behind it. The pig monkey Pokemon then picked up its leg and chopped into its opponents thigh, a few inches above the knee. This caused the Pokemon muscles to temporarily shut down and it stumbled to the floor.

"Finish with a karate chop," the boy said.

Primeapes then chopped down on the Pokemon, knocking it unconscious. Machamp was defeated, meaning that whoever won the next match (Hitmonchan or Hitmonlee) will be Ash's last battle.

The two Pokemon battled it out like professional boxers. Swinging punches, kicking legs and dodging hits. It was almost like watching them dance from one side of the ring to the other. Then, finally, after a pep talk from Anthony Hitmonchan won, using his speed.

"And that is another win for Anthony and Hitmonchan. Now, they will advance to the final match against Ash and Primeape," the announcer said.

Standing in the ring in one corner was Hitmonchan and his trainer. This Pokemon looked like it was born to fight with its tan, humanoid body and red boxing gloves. It had five blunt protrusions on top of its head and has extensions resembling pads over its shoulders, not unlike the pad American football players wore.

"Keep on moving, keep on fighting," the trainer told his Pokemon passionately. "Remember your a champion."

Hitmonchan nodded at its owner, bending its legs slightly and throwing a few practice punches at an invisible opponent.

In the other corner were Ash and Primeape. They waited for the bell to ring, not needing to communicate with words. The pig monkey Pokemon knew all he needed to. It did not matter if they won or lost, they both knew that they had already grown stronger.

"Ding!"

Let the battle begin.

Hitmonchan instantly shot towards Primeape appearing on the left, then jumping to the right in a feint. Ash's Pokemon just could not keep up with that kind of speed despite how much they had trained to increase in.

Primeape raised its hand preparing for a karate chop, only for the attack to be blocked by the tanned Pokemon. However, this did not stop him as Ash shouted, "Use your head!"

The round fighting type Pokemon immediately slammed its head into Hitmonchan, causing both Pokemon to stumble due to the hammering pain that was now entering their minds.

"Gotta be smart, gotta be strong," Hitmonchan's trainer said. "Gotta keep moving."

Primeape, once recovered, began to swipe its claws at Hitmonchan, who danced away from the attack. The Pokemon was not landing any hits.

"Low kick, Primeape," Ash shouted, however, Hitmonchan simply jumped over the kick and leapt into the Pokemon's personal space. It then threw one hard punch, causing the other fighting type Pokemon to crash to the ground.

Hitmonchan then moved into punch Primeape again.

"Watch out," Ash shouted worried for his Pokemon. However, relief swept through the boy as his Pokemon grabbed Hitmonchan's fist in a tight grip, stopping the attack. He then stood on his feet and began to spin, around and around. "That's seismic toss," Ash muttered to himself in disbelief. Then began to cheer, "Awesome, Primeape. Go for it!"

"Hitmonchan!" the trainer shouted as the battle become even more dangerous.

As Primeape spun faster and faster, about to let go of its opponent, the trainer ground his teeth together. He did not want his Pokemon to get hurt, but they have worked so hard to win this.

It was then that Hitmonchan was released. The Pokemon's tanned body sailed out of the fighting ring and slammed into the ground just before the crowd of spectators. The was silence.

"And Hitmonchan is out of there," the announcer said. "Primeape is the winner who defeated his opponent with a Seismic toss. Primeape is the new P1 Grand Prix champion.!"

"Yes!" Ash shouted in celebration after Primeape received the gold and blue belt. The boy then turned to his Pokemon and said, "You did brilliantly, Primeape, I am so proud of you. Not only did you evolve but you learned a new move, congratulations."

"Primeape," the Pokemon exclaimed jumping up and down in excitement.

"Ash," the Hitmonchan said as he made his way over. "This Primeape has got a lot of natural talent. Why don't you let me train it to become a real P2 champion."

"Oh, um," Ash said not sure how to respond to such a request. Actually, that was wrong, he would have told the man 'no' straight away. After all, Ash loved and cared for all of his Pokemon, they had been through too much together to just go their separate ways, but then again it was not his decision to make. "What do you think Primeape? You can stay and battle Gyms with me or become a P1 champion," Ash said turning to his Pokemon sadly.

"Prime," the pig monkey Pokemon tilted its head in thought. Then suddenly it dived at Ash tackling the boy to the ground, his eyes waters at the though of leaving his trainer.

"Well, I guess that is a 'no' then," the muscled trained said, slightly disappointed. Yet, he understood the Pokemons need to stay with the boy. They made a great team.

Ash laughed, thrilled that Primeape wanted to stay with him. "I guess so," he said.

* * *

"Okay, Scyther, are you ready," Ash shouted from the other side of the battlefield in the Pokemon Centre. These fields were rectangular flat ground areas, which had white lines to indicate the boundaries.

"Scy," the green bug and flying type Pokemon said as it stepped towards the centre of the field, holding up its arms defensively.

"Parasect, I choose you!" Ash called forth his bug and grass type Pokemon.

Brock, who was standing on the side with Louise next to him said, "Let the battle between Scyther and Parasect begin."

"Scy," the Pokemon cried as it charged towards the mushroom Pokemon, its sharp knife-like arms glinting in the morning sun. Scyther could not wait to have its own chance to battle and decided to wake Ash and the group up as soon as the sun was up.

"Parasect, dodge and use fury cutter," Ash told his Pokemon.

The bug and grass Pokemon leapt out of the way of Scythers attack, however, the mantis Pokemon quickly shifted its body to move with Parasect. So, every time

Ash's Pokemon dodged the green Pokemon was right there swiping at him again. At this rate, the boy was never going to hit Scyther.

"Leech life," Ash shouted.

The relatively smaller Pokemon then took a risk and bit down on Scyther's arm as it cut through the air towards him. The bug and flying type soon cried out in pain as the mushroom Pokemon began to suck the strength out of its opponent.

Suddenly, Scyther's limbs began to glow as it prepared for an X-Scissor, but instead of hitting anyone the mantis Pokemon slammed its arms into the ground. This effectively allowed it to dislodge Parasect. However, it had left Scyther exhausted and gasping for breath. It needed to finish this quickly.

So, Scyther stood in front of Parasect, dwarfing the Pokemon. It then focused the last of its energy into its arms. One more. All it needed to do was hit the mushroom Pokemon with one more X-Scissor.

"Dodge it," Ash shouted, but the Parasect was too slow, due to having taken a lot of damage from the first X-Scissor attack.

"The battle is over, Scyther wins," Brock pronouced, and upon hearing this the mantis Pokemon collapsed to the ground. It had won and was finally allowed to rest.

The Pokemon was so exhaused that it did not even hear Ash return Parasect and walk over. "You fought well," the boy complemented. "But do not push yourself too far."

This, of course, was the complete opposite of what Scyther's trainer had told it. In fact, the Pokemon recalled its owner saying, "You barely won that Scyther. How can you almost loose to a tiny Pokemon like that. Pathetic. You are weak."


	34. Chapter 34: Fuchsia Gym Part 1

**Someone has already guessed what I am doing with Scyther, I wonder is anyone else has guessed it.**

 **Remember to review as I would like to read what you think about my story.**

 **Chapter 34**

Several weeks have passed since Ash, Louise, Brock, Pikachu and Scyther left the town that hosted the P1 Grand Prix. Primeape had refused to remove the belt, not that Ash really minded as his Pokemon did earn it, and now slept in his Pokemon belt strapped securely around its waist.

The group were riding through the forest towards Fuchsia City where Ash's next gym battle is waiting for him. It was there that the group stopped to take a break by a lake so that their Pokemon could rest and get something to drink.

Louise's Psyduck was particularly enthusiastic in chugging down as much ice cold water as possible, ignoring the girl's protests that it would make his frequent headaches worse.

"Where is the Fuchsia gym anyway?" Ash said as the group sat down, recalling the fact that he never saw any gym when he walked through the city last year. The were no sign or anything, as far as he could remember.

"Well actually," Brock hesitated, not sure if he could tell the gym leaders secrets. "I heard that the Fuchsia gym is not in the city but somewhere in this forest."

"What!" Ash exclaimed. "Who puts a gym in the middle of the forest?"

How had Ash not been able to find it? Last year he had been stumbling through this forest for ages and never came across the gym before. In fact, he did not even find a house, hut or camping sight. Hence why he had to rely on the help of a Venonat that had been walking by.

"Maybe the hide it in order to challenge trainers," Louise put forward shyly. It seemed like something that they would do, after all, she had always been told that some tests did not always take the form that most people expect them to take.

"Yeah," Brock jumped in, happy that his friends had got to the answer by themselves. "Finding it could mean that you are worthy enough to battle the gym leader."

Ash's face suddenly lit up at the challenge and he jumped into the air with excitement. "Alright, then I am going to find the Fuchsia gym. Come on, Pikachu, Scyther!"

"Pika," the yellow mouse Pokemon nodded and jumped onto the black haired boy's shoulder.

"Scy," the mantis Pokemon sighed with fatigue. It had never walked around so much, even when it was in the wild before being captured by its trainer.

* * *

An hour later found Ash and the group crawling over a thin, tree truck that had been cut in half long ways, leaving their bikes behind. Looking over the side, the boy and his Pikachu gulped loudly. If they fell it was a long way down before they would hit the water below. The trouble is that Ash has read science books and he knew that a full from this height then it would feel like he was hitting concrete due to the surface tension of the water.

Pikachu gripped tighter onto Ash's backpack digging its claws into the waterproof fabric, whilst the boy clutched harder onto the truck making his knuckles go white. His mind whispered, 'don't look down' repeatedly despite the fact that it was too late the boy had already done this multiple times.

Louise, Brock and Scyther followed the pair at a more sedate pace, inwardly laughing at their dramatics. Who knew Ash was scared of heights? He had not shown any fear in crossing other bridges before this one, yet he looked absolutely terrified of this bridge that had been created either by lazy artist or nature at its finest.

Finally, on the other side of the bridge, the group could see the gym. It was an old-fashioned Japanese mansion with teal green roofs and white walls. It had an engawa, where was an outer corridor that wrapped around the entire mansion.

The group walked through the heavy wooden doors and opened one of the sliding doors leading to a room. The doors were called Shoji and were made with translucent paper panelling in order to light the room by reflecting natural sun rays.

"Hello, is anybody here?" Ash projected his voice. "Hello!"

It did not matter how loud the boy called out because it appeared as if the Japanese mansion was abandoned.

Scyther leant against the wall behind it, the mantis Pokemon taking advantage of the situation and resting for a moment. However, as soon as it placed all of its body weight onto the wall the panel flipped and the green Pokemon disappeared into a secret passageway.

"Scy," the Pokemon groaned, too tired to get up from its position on the floor. Did these kids never stop?

Ash had turned just in time to witness the disappearance and ran over to the wall. "Guys, Scyther just found a secret passageway. Look!"

After the boy had caught his friends attention, he pushed against the wall causing it to open. Behind the secret door was a dirt laden floor and Scyther who sat on it in the darkness.

"Scyther, are you okay?" Ash asked.

The green Pokemon lazily got back to its feet and nodded.

"Good, now where do we go?" Ash questioned, looking around the cool, dark, gloomy place that they had ended up in.

"Pika," the electric mouse Pokemon exclaimed, pointing to the corridor they had just come from. His ears twitching as he heard something that human ears could not pick up.

"Do you hear something, Pikachu?" Ash asked.

The small mouse Pokemon the nodded and ran out into the hallway that the group originally came from, and down the corridor.

"Wait up!" Ash shouted at his friend. He then turned to his friends and said, "Come, guys, before we loose Pikachu."

Following Pikachu, they were all led upstairs and down yet another corridor. Ash was only a little ways behind his Pokemon when he heard a bang and a pained exclamation.

"Pikachu!" the black haired boy yelled, worry stabbing at his heart, as he ran over to his Pokemon.

When he got to where Pikachu lay, Ash could feel a wall, similar to 's barrier, preventing him from properly leading forward over his Pokemon.

"It is an invisible wall," Brock said knocking on the barrier out of curiosity.

"I think we should just leave now," Louise said fearfully. "There is obviously something weird about this place."

The group nodded in agreement and Ash bent down to pick up his Pikachu, who was still moaning in pain, with a large bump on his head.

"You're okay, buddy," he soothed his Pokemon.

As the group began to walk back the way they came, they discovered that another invisible wall was not blocking their way. This wall meant that they were all trapped, there were no windows or doors within the section that they were contained it.

Who had set this trap? What were their plans?

Ash could only think of two answers: either the owner really hates intruders or Pokemon thieves had found the abandoned mansion and were using it to steal Pokemon from unsuspecting trainers.

!There may be another secret passage around somewhere," Brock announced in desperation. "Try and see if you can find one. We should check the floors and ceiling as well as the walls."

As Louise and Scyther crawled around on the floor, Brock and Pikachu reached towards the ceiling, and Ash began patting down the walls. Suddenly, just like last time, the wall shifted, opening a gap that everyone could squeeze through (one by one that is).

On the other side was a room, it was empty except for the large scroll that hung on the other side of the space and a vase of long green flowers on either side of it.

Out of the corner of his eye, Ash saw a glint of metal, and, thinking it was another trap, shouted, "Get down!"

Luckily, everyone pressed themselves flat against the floor, because seconds later three black throwing stars shot over their heads and embedded themselves into the secret door. This was floowed by a battle cry as a dark figure fell from the shadows and landed in a cat-like crouch.

"Born in darkness. Living in darkness, such is the fate of a ninja," the figure said.

In the light, the group could clearly see the shadowed figure. She had long forest green hair that was tied in a ponytail and trailed down her back. Her sky blue eyes narrowed at the group as her pale pink lips smirked confidently at them. Wearing a short pink kimono with metal mesh underneath, only proved to the group that she truly believed she was a Japanese ninja.

"I am Aya, ninja warrior," she continued.

Suddenly, Ash jumped to his feet, "What do you think you are doing? You can't chuck throwing stars at people! Right Brock?" the black haired boy turned to the teen only to find him gone. Not physically but definitely mentally and emotionally.

Ash then felt a vein growing on his forehead as he heard the dark skinned teen say to the ninja, "I think electric pink suits you nicely." However, Ash's annoyance diminished slightly when Aya slapped the boy's hand away.

"This is a training camp, it is your fault if you let your guard down, but you didn't So congratulations on dodging my attack," Aya said crossing her arms over her chest as if to emphasise the point. "I am not going to let you leave this place until you have a Pokemon battle with me first."

"Fine," Ash shouted. "I will battle you."

The girl then laughed, not sweetly like other females would do. In fact, her laugh sounded more like an evil cackle. "Excellent. It will be a one on one battle, choose your Pokemon wisely."

"Alright," Ash said as he and the girl stepped away from each other allowing enough room for a battle to commence. "I choose you, Gastly."

"Venonat, stun spore," Aya commanded with casual confidence. He faces pulled together into a frown as she tried to think strategically; three moves ahead like her brother had taught her.

Her purple poison type Pokemon jumped into the air and shook its body, releasing the orange stun spore. The orange powder moved slowly towards Ash's ghost and poison type Pokemon, stretching around him.

Obviously, the female ninja was not paying much attention to type advantage as poison attacks did not work every well on Gastly due to him being both a poison and ghost type Pokemon.

"Stay where you are Gastly, let it pass," the boy ordered.

Relief swept through him as he saw that Gastly was perfectly fine after the cloud of spun spore had passed.

"Great," Ash smiled. "Now use lick attack."

Unfortunately, Aya's Venonat dodged the continued attack with surprising ease, jumping from one place to another. The buy and poison type Pokemon was trained very well.

"Psybeam, now," the green haired ninja called out. Her Pokemon immediately gathered energy into its eyes and shot it at Ash's Gastly.

Without any need for commands, Gastly turned itself invisible and dodged the attack. When the multicoloured ray of light vanished, Ash smirked in triumph seeing that his Pokemon was not hit.

"Use lick, again," Ash called out to his invisible Pokemon.

Gastly suddenly reappeared behind the Venonat and dragged its tongue up its purple body.

Moments later the Venonat collapsed on the floor, wheezing slightly as the paralysis seeped into the Pokemon's body.

"Venonat, return," Aya said, pointing her Pokeball at the still Pokemon.

Suddenly, Gastly's body began to glow a pale light and began to shift and change. Then in the gas ball's place hovered a purple bodied Pokemon with a round head and disembodied hands. On each hand, there were three fingers. His head was flanked by three large spiked protrusions on either side.

"Awesome," Ash muttered as he pulled out his Pokedex.

"Haunter," the robotic voice started. "The Gas Pokemon. Because of its ability to slip through walls, it is said to be from another dimension. This Haunter is male and knows the moves shadow punch, lick, mean look and confuse ray."

Before Ash and the others could celebrate this new development, a large red and white ball rolled into the middle of the room.

"Voltorb!" it exclaimed before glowing white and-

BANG!

The Pokemon exploded causing smoke to sweep over the group in a heavy cloud. The smoke was then completely opaque, blinding them so they could not nee their own hands in front of their faces. Breathing in the dense smog resulted in a burning feeling in their nostrils and the back of their throats. It felt like they were suffocating.

"You still have got a lot to learn, Aya," a deep voice said in the distance.

As the smoke began to escape from the room the group could finally see. There, standing in front of Aya, was a man. He had deep blue, spiky hair and wore a bright blue ninja robe with a red scarf. The man's hands were clasped together in the ram hand seal, with his left thumb on top and hands vertically together.

The green haired ninja quickly dropped to her knee, one fist touching the ground and her head bowed.

"Honourable brother," she said. "I have failed you."

Brock, in a moment of pure stupidity, ran over to stand in front of the man. Putting his hand over his heart, the teen spoke, "Honourable brother, my name is Brock and you have a very beautiful sister-."

Out of nowhere Scyther whacked the dark skinned teen around the head, careful as to not to cut him with its shape blades. The mantis Pokemon could not fathom why the teen said the stupidest things sometimes, after all, from its observations the buy and flying type knew that not all human were like this.

"None of you is permitted to leave here unless you do battle with me," the Honourable brother said, not taking any notice of what Brock was saying.

"Who are you?" Ash questioned the man, not willing to accept the challenge until he knew the other ninja's name.

"I am Koga, the Pokemon master of the Fuchsia gym," the man stated plainly.

Ash gaped at the two ninjas for a moment, then brock into a grin, "Alright," he said. "I accept your challenge."

Ash smiled to himself. Instead of challenging the Fuchsia gym leader, he challenges him. At least, now the boy knows where it is. Although, he did not expect it to be based in a Japanese mansion. However, now that he thought about it, each gym leader owned a unique place to battle challengers depending on their own personal style.

"If you manage to defeat me then the Soul badge will be yours," Koga continued as he dropped a scroll while still holding onto the outer piece, causing it to unravel. This revealed the Soul badge, which was a pink heart divided in half by a straight line.

"Alright," Ash said and pulled out his Pokeball. "Haunter, return."

"The battle will be two on two," the gym leader said. "I shall start with Venonat."

"Okay, then I choose Pikachu," Ash shouted.

The yellow mouse Pokemon looked up at his owner from the sidelines before exclaiming, "Pikachu!" It had been a while since Ash had used his electric type in an actual gym battle. It was time for Pikachu to stretch his legs a bit.

Just as the black haired boy was about to call out the first move, he froze and gaped at his opponents Pokemon. Koga's Venonat evolved into Venomoth right in front of him. Some luck Ash was having at the moment.

"Venomoth," Koga said not even phased by the evolution. "Stun spore."

There was nothing Ash and Pikachu could do to defend from the attack. However, the pair were confident that the electric mouse could shake off the effects, and that is exactly what he did.

"Alright," Ash cheered. "Use shockwave."

"Venomoth, dodge and use your sleep powder," the male ninja said crossing his arms arrogantly as if claiming that he has already won.

He hasn't. Ash was not finished yet, not by a long shot.

"Pikachu, use your quick attack in a circle," the boy commanded.

As the yellow mouse Pokemon become a blue of light, the sleep powder began to get drawn into the centre of his circle, along with the air around them. Eventually, as the powder and air combined a small tornado formed. Pikachu quickly jumped out of its path, allowing for the tornado to move towards the Venonmoth.

However, this time his plan did not work and the tornado dispersed before it even touched the poison and buy type Pokemon.

With Pikachu becoming exhausted Koga jumped at the chance to end the battle," Venomoth tackle and use sleep powder."

The purple moth Pokemon did as it was told and dived towards the Pikachu, colliding with its yellow body. Before its opponent could even get up, the Venonmoth released its sleep powder. Not long after, the yellow mouse Pokemon was snoring on the hardwood floor of the dojo.

Ash quickly ran into the battlefield/dojo to check on his Pokemon, who just lay there, not taking notice on anything around him. Once he was happy that his partner and friend would be okay, he handed Pikachu to Louise, asking the girl to keep an eye on him so that Ash could continue with his battle.

The blonde smiled at Ash and wrapped her arms around the sleeping Pokemon. She would look after Pikachu.

Just as the second round was about toe begin, a cracking sound broke the momentary silence. The ceiling then began to bend dangerously as another crack sounds above the group. Then suddenly the ceiling caved in, sending wood and cement tumbling to the ground. What was going on?

 _ **ALSO, GUYS, I HAVE BEEN CONSIDERING HAVING ASH CATCH SOME PREHISTORIC POKEMON. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHT? YES OR NO?**_

 _ **IF YES, PLEASE TELL ME WHICH ONE (OR ALL) YOU WOULD LIKE HIM TO CATCH**_


	35. Chapter 35: Fuchsia Gym Part 2

**Okay, you guys have voted and the results are in for the fossil Pokemon(s) the Ash will catch:**

 **Aerodactyl 4**

 **Omastar 1**

 **Kabuto 1**

 **Tyrunt 3**

 **Tirtouga 1**

 **Amaura 3**

 **Tyrantrum 1**

 **So, it looks like Ash will be catching himself an Aerodactyl, however, I am willing to accept more votes as the chapter will probably be drafted on Sunday.**

 **Chapter 35**

In front of the group and the two ninjas stood two people with red umbrellas covering their faces, and a Meowth. The Meowth had its back turned and was standing on its hind legs. The was only one Meowth that did this, Ash thought with a sinking feeling. It has been a while since he had seen Team Rocket.

"Welcome to the show," Jessie and James said from behind the umbrellas. "Now let out ancient performance begin."

"No thank you," Ash groaned. "I thought I had finally gotten rid of you."

"You twerp!" Jessie suddenly shouted dropping the umbrella in her range. She wore a massive white wig and a red and green kimono. The makeup on her face made her appear incredibly pale, as the powder she had used was way too white. "Why can't you ever let us finish."

Jame then lifted his umbrella up, revealing his large red wig and a yellow and dark blue kimono. "Yeah, you don't even let us start anymore."

"Meowth, that's right," the cat Pokemon exclaimed.

"What are you doing here?" Ash shouted, clenching his fists.

"Weren't you the Viridian gym leaders?" Louise added.

Brock, finally, snapped out of his love-induced craze and looked back and forth between his friends and the new arrivals. "Who are they?" the teen asked in confusion.

"They are Team Rocket, a group of Pokemon thieves. Although they are not very good," Louise said dully. "Last, I saw them they were the leaders of Viridian."

"However, it looks like they screwed that up as well," Ash added as an afterthought.

This caused the three members to turn bright red with rage before Jessie burst out, "Don't say that! It is your fault that I am here. The boss was so angry that we lost and now, to get back on his good side, we need o get as many Pokemon as possible."

"So, if you don't mind stepping aside so we can get all your pretty little Pokemon," the talking cat Pokemon said suggestively.

"Yeah right, Meowth," Ash snorted. "Like I would let you have any of our Pokemon."

"You don't have a choice," Jessie sneered. "Go Arbok," she shouted as James followed by releasing his Weezing.

"Go Venomoth," Koga shouted.

"Venonat, attack," Aya ordered.

"Parasect, I choose you."

As the three Pokemon lunged towards Team Rockets Pokemon, James threw something at them. It was webbing as thick as Caterpie's string shot. Each Pokemon wriggled trying to break free, however, it was no use.

Scyther, seeing the other Pokemon trapped within the webbing, raced forward to help. However, much to the Pokemon's frustration, it soon could catch in the sticky substance as well. Team Rocket had clearly thought this one through.

Louise went to call out her Cubone, however, instead she got a surprise when she recently captured Psyduck made an appearance. She smiled done at the Pokemon, not wanting to hurt its feelings, and said, "Do you want to try and help?"

For a moment the Psyduck just tilted his head, but then it began to nod, causing Louise's smile to widen. She then pulled out her Pokedex and scanned him, **"Psyduck, the duck Pokemon. While lulling its enemies with its vacant look, this wily Pokemon will use psychokinetic powers. This Psyduck is male and knows the moves scratch, tail whip and water gun."**

"Okay, Psyduck, try using scratch on the webbing," Louise said. The water Pokemon stared at her smiling face for what seemed like hours before waddling off towards the captured Pokemon.

On Louise's right, Brock called out his Geodude, ordering him to protect Psyduck while the water Pokemon worked on releasing the Pokemon.

When the three Pokemon were finally released, Koga told everyone to return their Pokemon to their Pokeballs. The male ninja then pulled on the rope behind him causing the panels in the ceiling to slid open. Looking up, Ash and the group watched as dozens of Voltorbs fell hazardously onto the wooden floor and rolled towards Team Rocket.

At first, these strange Pokemon only sparked with anger, but soon, one by one, they self-destructed. This sent Team Rocket through the roof and blasting off over the mountains. Maybe this time they won't get in the groups way again.

Ash was once again challenging Koga for the soul badge. However, since the dojo was destroyed in Team Rockets attempts to steal Pokemon the battle was taken outside. This outside battlefield was not a formal field as there was no white outline and nor was they are a clear trainers box for the two battlers to stand in. However, it was a large space of grass that was good enough for the batter to be completed in. Also, because of the circumstances, the battle was now changed to a one on one battle because Koga's Venomoth was growing tired.

"For the battle, I choose Venomoth," Ash said throwing his Pokeball.

"And I will choose Golbat," Koga said releasing his Pokemon. "Golbat, wing attack," the gym leader continued putting his hands together to form the ram seal.

"Dodge," Ash ordered and then watched as the bat Pokemon repeatedly swept down to attack Venomoth.

"Venonmoth, use Psybeam," the boy commanded next.

The purple moth Pokemon did as it was ordered but put its own spin on it (literally). He spun his body around in a circle causing the psybeam to shoot out in all direction.

"Golbat," Koga said calmly. "Use your screech."

Immediately, a loud, high-pitched wail emitted, forcing Venomoth to stop its attack as it rang through the moth's membrane, that acted as its ears.

"Venomoth, supersonic," Ash yelled over the sounds, as he plugged his ears.

The two sound wave attacks collided, creating an explosion that damaged both Pokemon equally.

"Okay, now use psybeam again," Ash commanded.

This time Venomoth managed to hit the Golbats wing, preventing it from flying. So, as the Pokemon fell to the ground, the black haired boy ordered his Pokemon to tackle it. The battle was over.

They had done it. They had won the soul badge. Ash grinned now they only had one badge left and plenty of time to get it. After all, there was still about six months left until the Indigo League started.

"Finally," Ash exclaimed as the group entered the Safari Zone just on the edge of Fuchsia City.

The group had quickly gone to sign in and receive their six Safari balls, leaving with a thank you to the grumpy man that was serving them. They were looking forward to the new and interesting Pokemon that lived here, hoping that they will be able to catch some of them.

"So where do you want to go?" Ash asked. "There are three areas. The first is the Grass. Meadow area, the second is water and the third is ground.

"Why don't we go to all of them," Brock suggested. "We have lots of time."

Ash shrugged not overly bothered by the decision as he had already caught some awesome Pokemon when he came here last year, "Okay."

The first area that the ground wondered too, after leaving their bikes behind, was the grass area. All around them was pea green grass, bottle green bushes and olive green forests - with the occasional cliff that some of the ground type Pokemon preferred to stay. It was a long tunnelled space that ended in the water area near where Ash had caught his Eevee's.

"Wow," Louise breathed. Awed by the sheer number of carefree Pokemon that ran around the meadow. There were so many Bellsprouts, Mankeys and Tangela, happily playing.

As the group walked through the grass area and into the trees, they quickly ended up on the end of Officer Jenny's shotgun. It was not like they did anything wrong. In fact, as soon as they walked by, the woman jumped out of a bush shouting, "Freeze you are under arrest!"

The three humans, Scyther and Pikachu stopped moving instantly, not even blinking as they stared at the gun. This woman was going to shot them, they all thought as they saw the determination in the woman's unusually coloured eyes.

"Turn around and put your hands on your head," Officer Jenny then said and walked up behind them.

Ash, Brock and Louise then felt cool metal slap around their wrists. They were being arrested for walking through a forest that they paid to entire. For walking through the Safari Zone.

Finally, Ash found his voice, "Wait, Officer Jenny, this is a mistake. We are allowed to be here, we paid for entry!"

Brock nodded along, blushing at the Policewoman.

"A likely story," the woman sneered, ignoring the boy's protests.

"We have Safari balls to prove it," Ash continued.

Upon hearing this, the teal haired woman stopped what she was doing. She then began to search Brock for his Pokeballs causing the teen to blush harder. To Jenny's shame, she found them, meaning that she had just pointed a gun at and cuffed three innocent children.

"I am so sorry," Jenny said and went about taking the handcuffs back off. "Ever since a Pokemon poacher stole a Kangaskhan baby all the rangers and police in the area must stay on the look out."

"What! Someone stole a Pokemon," Ash shouted in shock. Everyone knew that if the Safari Zone Pokemon left by any means other than willing, then the consequences were serious for anyone involved.

Ash clearly recalled a story a couple of years ago that someone had stolen a newborn Ditto. This was a unique Pokemon who's only ability was to transform. However, what made it unique was the fact that it could breed with any species other than the Pokemon that are in the undiscovered group and itself. Adding to the fact that one out of ten eggs produced by a Ditto is actually a Ditto itself made the newborn that much more special.

"Yes," the woman said sadly."And along the way, he, or she, hurt the mother badly."

"Oh no," Louise moaned.

"The poor mother," Brock whispered. As an up and coming Pokemon breeder, the teen knew that Kangaskhan were nuirturing pokemon. They protect their young at all cost. However, surviving whilstyour child has been stolen must have been perceived as a great failure.

After separating from Officer Jenny left the group, everyone moved on.

"Oh wow," Ash suddenly spoke as he pointed somewhere in the distance. "Look over there!"

As everyone looked towards the small clearing, they gasped. "They had never seen so many Scythers in one place and there was also a hand full of Scizor, Scythers evolved form.

"Scy," the mantis Pokemon behind Ash said, tilted its head. It had never met any of its kind before unless it was to battle andit did not even remember its mother and father. As far as Scyther knew it has always been alone until its owner Damien caught it.

"Why don't you go say hi, Scyther," Ash said grabbing the Pokemons bare arm without a ar in the world. The boy then dragged the buy andflying type Pokemon tot he edgeof the clearing and gave it a lttle push.

As the three humans sat there they watched as the Scyther grew used to the Pokemon around it. They smiled as the green Pokemon playe, for what seemed like the first time in its life. It looked happy and carefree for once in its life. The children watched as a baby Scyther swayed unsteadily on its feet, before falling with its bladed arms outstretched. Its sharp arms sank into the ground, causing the Pokemon to shreik, not in pain or fear, but in laughter.

It was strange to see Pokemon this way. However, at the same time, it seemed so natural.

As day turned into night,Ash, Brock and Louise slept under the stars. Pikachu had wormed his way into Ash's sleeping bag and hugged his owner closely, while Brock and Louise slept on either side of the slept with the colony of his own kind,or at least it was suppose to be sleeping.

It had never felt so happy before, yet so guilty at the same time. It liked being here in the Safari Zone with the other Scythers and Scizors, yet it could not imagine itself away from the black haired human. The human that helped it to train and become stronger. The human that saved it.

It was then that Scyther realised that he had never felt that way about any other human, even its trainer.

Huffing out a sigh the mantis Pokemon got up from its position and moved closer to the human that it had been with for a good month of so. To Ash. It was ready to leave the boy yet and it doubted it ever would.

However, little did the Scther know, Ash had been thinking the opposite. Ever since watching the buy and flying type Pokemon interact with others of its species, the boy had wondered if he should just leave the Pokemon with them. Despite how fun it was to train together he could not help but think Scyther would be happier here.

So, early the next morning, when everyone rose Ash spoke his thoughts to the mantis Pokemon. The green Pokemon then responded with a confused, "Scy?" As it tilted his head at what they boy said.

"It is not like I want you to go Scyther," Ash stumbled. For once in his life, he was unable to get words out of his mouth. "But you seem so happy here."

The green Pokemon stared up at the human in shock. It then shouted, "Scyther, scy!"

Ash, unsure of what the Pokemon meant, shook his head in confusion and ran one hand through his hair. He then looked into the Pokemon's blue, serious eyes and said, "I don't understand."

Giving up in getting the boy to listen, Scyther lunged forward, knocking the boy down.

"Hey," Ash exclaimed. "What are you doing?"

With the other Scythers and Scizors watching, Ash's mantis Pokemon knocked one of the boy's Safari balls loose. Unfortunately, the child was not allowed to catch any Pokemon in the area with the normal red and white Pokeball, but it would do.

The mantis Pokemon then picked up the green camouflaged ball and handed it to the boy.

"You want to stay," Ash said in surprise as he clutched the ball.

When Scyther nodded "yes" Ash could not stop the wide grin that threatened tosplit his face in a burst of excitement he boy wrapped one hand around the Safari ball and then shot forward to catch Scyther, pushing its white button into the Pokemons chest. Scyther went into the ball without a fuss.

"This is great Ash," Brock said patting his friends back. "I knew Scyther would decide to stay."

Louise nodded her agreement, also happy about what had just occurred. She just hoped she would be able to catch a Pokemon here as well.

It wasby unaimous voting in whih the group decided to go to the second area next. Ash remembered this area clearly. the lake still glistened that beautiful azure blue whilst pokemon rested on the rocks around it or swam in the waters depths. The forest around it seemed to bring a delighted smile on Ash's face as he called the Eevee pack, his Eevee pack, hiding within it.

Louise's eyes quickly drew tothe small group of Staryu and Starmie's who played happily in the cold water. She still wanted one, but she did not have the courage to go up and talk to them. After all, they were free and happy here. Why would they want to go with a trainer that they bearly know?

brock, seeing Louise's hesitance, nudged the black haired boy beside him, which caused as to take note of the girls expression. Whatever her obsession with those Pokemon were, Ash was not going to let his friend pass up yet anotheropportunity to get one.

Smirking at the plan the was formulating in the boy's mind, he grabbed Louise's hand andtugged her towards the cluster of star Pokemon. He ignored her quiet protests, stopping only when he stood directly in front of the Pokemon.

"Hi, my name is Ash," the boy started in his normal cheerful tone. "This is my friend Louise. Ever since she saw my battle with a water Pokemon trainer she has wanted to catch a Starmie and Staryu."

As he continued to speak, the blonde haired girl felt herself blush did Ash have to embarrass her like this? What if another trainer was watching?

"Anyway, is there anyone who would like to travel with her..." Ash concluded after explaining almost everything about the girl to the purple and tan Pokemon.

However, to Louise's surprise, Ash's plan actually worked. Not one but two of the water type Pokemon volunteered themselves. One of each; a Starmie and a Staryu.

"Really!" Louise squeaked in excitement. "You will come with me!"

THe Pokemon nodded, and so the blonde haired girl pulled out two Safari Pokeballs. Just like with Scyther, they went with a burst of light and no fuss, willing to give the girl a chance.

For the first time since Ash met Louise he had never see the girl so happy and excited. A grin spread across her face and her eyes sparkled with new light. Yet, it was the first time the two boys had ever seen her liked that.


	36. Chapter 36: Pokemon Abandonment

**Ash's Pokemon:**

 **1) Pikachu - Male - Electric**

 **2) Pidgeotto - Female - Flying, Normal**

 **3) Raticate - Female - Normal**

 **4) Primeape - Male - Fighting**

 **5) Gloom - Male - Grass, Poison**

 **6) Butterfree - Male - Bug, Flying**

 **7) Rhyhorn - Female - Ground, Rock**

 **8) Golbat - Poison, Flying**

 **9) Poliwag - Female - Water**

 **10) Shiny Gyarados - Female - Water**

 **11) Bulbasaur - Male - Grass, Poison**

 **12) Charmeleon - Male - Fire**

 **13) Squirtle - Male - Water**

 **14) Seadra - Male - Water**

 **15) Bellsprout - Female - Grass, Poison**

 **16) Haunter - Male - Ghost, Poison**

 **17) Parasect - Male - Bug, Grass**

 **18) Nidorina - Female - Poison**

 **19) Muk - Male - Poison**

 **20) Magnemite - N/A - Electric, Steel**

 **21) Dugtrio - Male - Ground**

 **22) Ponyta - Female - Fire**

 **23) Espeon - Female - Psychic**

 **24) Eevee - Male - Normal**

 **25) Umbreon - Male - Dark**

 **26) Glaceon - Male- Ice**

 **27) Jolteon - Male - Electric**

 **28) Snorlax - Male - Normal**

 **29) Jigglypuff - Female - Normal, Fairy**

 **30) Venomoth - Male - Poison, Bug**

 **31) Togepi - Female - Fairy**

 **32) Spearow - Male - Flying, Normal**

 **33) Clefairy - Female - Fairy**

 **34) Tangela - Male - Grass**

 **35) Dratini - Male - Dragon**

 **36) Scyther - Male - Bug, Flying**

 **Louise's Pokemon**

 **1) Squirtle - Female - Water**

 **2) Cubone - Male - Ground**

 **3) Psyduck - Male - Water**

 **4) Staryu**

 **5) Starmie**

 **Brock's Pokemon**

 **1) Geodude - Male - Rock**

 **2) Rhyhorn - Female - Ground, Rock**

 **Chapter 36 - Pokemon Abandonment**

After their visit to the Safari Zone, Louise became the proud owner of a Staryu and Starmie. Brock had found an injured Rhyhorn that was much smaller than the Pokemon's average height and weight. This had suggested to the group that it had been kicked out of the herd after being deemed too weak. Ash had caught the Scyther that had been following the group on their journey and an Elekid, which had decided to play around with one of the balls that Ash had dropped. The result, getting itself caught.

Elekid was a yellow, round-bodied Pokemon with black strips. It had bulky arms and three claws instead of fingers. There were two horns on top of its head which resembled the prongs of a plug, complete with holes in their sides.

It was while Ash was walking towards his bike that he traded all his Pokemon. This time selecting them based on whether he has evolved them yet. So, he now carried with him Elekid, Dratini, Spearow, Bulbasaur, and Bellsprout. His aim was to battle with them as much as he could, in hopes that they will evolve with the experience.

It felt weird being in a city after spending three days in the Safari Zone and another one riding through the forest. It was a shock to your eyes and a sensory overload for your ears. However, it was nice to come back to civilisation. In truth, it almost felt like time did not exist for the group whilst in the wilderness. It was too peaceful.

The group was now on their way to the Pokemon Centre of the city. It had surprised the boy, who had been here before that there was no way near as much traffic as there used to be. There were no cars zooming past, but instead driving leisurely down the road. The Ash remembered the bridge. It must have been complete by now!

As soon as that thought came into mind the large, zig-zagging bridge came into view.

"Wow," Brock gasped at the sight. "It is so big."

Ash nodded at the dark skinned teen, "It goes all the way to Sunny Side City, but only those with bikes and cars can go."

"That is way Ash wanted us to bring our bikes on the journey," Louise told Brock. "That and they are much faster than walking."

"At least this means we can take our time in the Pokemon Centre. It would only take about a day to get to Sunny Town, whereas it would take about four days to go around."

In the small Pokemon Centre, Ash greeted the Nurse Joy before handing her his Pokemon on the white trays that are stacked on the side by the door. He had remembered fulfilling her request and helping deliver medicine to a sick Shellder in the Town across the bridge.

The Pokemon Centre was small but welcoming with a sand yellow body and a bright red roof. Inside, the walls were filled with posters - one was about this years Pokemon League with a hand grasping a Pokeball in the Centre and then there were different elemental symbols surrounding it. The poster said, " Today's winners are tomorrow's Pokemon Masters."

"Ash!" Nurse Joy smiled at him. "I am so glad you came back to visit. I wanted to thank you for all your help last year."

"That is okay, Nurse Joy, I was happy to help. How is Shellder doing?" the boy responded, ignoring his friends as they looked on in confusion.

"He is now one hundred percent healthy, physically at least," the pink haired woman sighed sadly.

"What do you mean?" Brock jumped in, not sure how Ash knew the Nurse, but completely understood that there was something wrong with the Pokemon.

"Well, you see, the trainer that dropped Shellder off did not come back for it," Nurse Joy informed the group.

"That is horrible!" said Louise shocked how someone could do that.

"It is and now Shellder is depressed," the woman nodded sadly.

Then, before Nurse Joy could say more, a bell rang throughout the Pokemon Centre.

"Ah," she said. "Your Pokemon have been healed now."

"Great, thank you," Ash said as he picked up the Pokeballs on the tray and Pikachu leapt onto his shoulder. "Hey, Louise, do you fancy having a battle?"

"Okay," the blonde girl said thinking that she could use this opportunity to get to know her knew Star Pokemon.

As the two trainers went outside to the Centre's battlefield, they each took their place at either end. Brock became the referee after volunteering.

"How about a two on two?" Ash suggested, thinking that this way Louise will have the chance to use both of her new Pokemon in the battle.

Louise nodded her acceptance.

"I choose Elekid," Ash said. Whilst Louise called out her Starmie. The two then pulled out their Pokedex.

 **"Elekid, the electric Pokemon,"** Dexter's voice said through Ash's Pokedex. **"It rotates its arms to generate electricity, but tires easily, so it charges up only a little bit. This Elekid is male and knows the moves quick attack, thundershock and low kick."**

 **"Starmie, the mysterious Pokemon,"** Louise's Pokedex said. **"Its central core glows with the seven colours of the rainbow. Some people value the core as a gem. This Starmie is male and knows the moves hydro pump, rapid spin, recover, swift and water gun."**

"The match against Elekid and Starmie starts now," Brock shouted dropping his raised arms.

"Starmie uses rapid spin," Louise ordered, not entirely sure what the move was. To the girl's relief, the move dealt a small amount of damage to Elekid, who could not dodge fast enough. Rapid spin was exactly how the word describes it. It was Starmie spinning its body so fast whilst soaring towards the electric type ready to tackle it.

"Thundershock, Elekid," Ash ordered.

As Ash spoke, sparks began to gather between the two plug horns on top of his head. The electric Pokemon then bowed slightly and shot the yellow energy at the Star Pokemon.

"Dodge Starmie," Louise ordered and the mysterious Pokemon quickly moved out of the way. "Great, now use swift."

"Instead of asking Elekid to dodge normally the time, the boy commanded him to use quick attack. This allowed the electric Pokemon to breeze past the swift attack and follow up with a low kick that sent Starmie flying. However, the battle was not over yet.

"Starmie recover and then use rapid spin," Louise ordered.

Starmie focused its energy, first on its purple body in order to heal any damaged done from the previous attack, which was not much as the Pokemon was damaged normally by normal type moves. The water and psychic type Pokemon then moved towards Elekid in a rapid spin. However, Ash was already one move ahead.

Elekid was dancing from spot to spot, ensuring that it did not stay in one place too long. This way the rapid spin attack could not hit the Pokemon.

After Starmie realised that his attack would not work, he instantly stopped.

"Now use thundershock," Ash ordered, hoping that this time it would hit.

"Dodge and use swift," Louise said, missing the yellow attack once again.

Unfortunately for Ash, the swift hit Elekid causing the Pokemon to stumble back and collapse on the ground.

"Elekid is unable to battle. Starmie wins," Brock announced proudly. Louise's hand managed to beat Ash, which would now hopefully help her build up her confidence on the battlefield. After all, the teen was starting to believe that the blonde would make a great Pokemon coordinator.

"Elekid return," Ash shouted and then pulled out another Pokeball. "Scyther, I choose you!"

Louise, noticing that Starmie was tired, quickly returned her Starmie to his Pokeball and called out Staryu.

Once again both Louise and Ash scanned their recently acquired Pokemon:

 **"Scyther, the Mantis Pokemon. With ninja-like agility and speed, it can create the illusion that there is more than one of it. This Scyther is male and knows the moves quick attack, false swipe, fury cutter, double team and x-scissor.**

 **Staryu, the star-shaped Pokemon. An enigmatic Pokemon that can effortlessly regenerate any appendage it loses in battle. This Staryu is female and knows the moves harden, tackle and water gun."**

"Scyther, use double team," Ash ordered as soon as Louise was finished taking in what her Pokedex said about her Pokemon.

The green Pokemon immediately began to move extremely fast causing two, then four, then eight images of itself to appear. Staryu looked from one to the other, unable to decipher the real Scyther from the illusions.

"Staryu, use water gun on all of them," Louise ordered.

The star-shaped Pokemon quickly began to shoot a water gun at one of the illusions causing it to disappear. She then slowly turned in a full circle continuing her water attack. However, as soon as one illusion went down another had replaced it.

"Scyther, use x-scissor," Ash then ordered.

The Staryu froze as all of the Scyther's, real and illusions, made the knives on then arms glow as the crossed them over into the shape of an 'X'.

"Harden," Louise shouted out and then water type quickly did as it was told.

While this move did not stop the strong bug and flying types attack it did raise Staryu's defence and, thus, minimise the amount of damage she took.

"Quick attack and then go into fury cutter," Ash ordered the Mantis Pokemon, growing excited as he could see himself winning this match.

"Dodge it," Louise shouted.

However, there was no need for this. Scyther was faster than Staryu, with his ninja speed. Therefore, even as the Pokemon tried to dodge, Scyther fluidly followed.

The bug and flying type Pokemon slashed repeatedly at the star shaped Pokemon, resulting in a wipeout. It was only a matter of second but without any ddefencesStaryu was vulnerable.

"Staryu," Louise shouted and ran over to her Pokemon.

"Staryu is unable to battle. Scyther wins," Brock announced. "The match end in a draw."

* * *

After, once again, getting their Pokemon healed, the group sat in the Pokemon Centre eating lunch and staring at the dark clouds. It looked like they would not be crossing the bridge any time soon.

Finishing their meals, the group then sat in fron of the crackling fire discussing who Ash's next battle will be against. However, not only had Ash met the next gym leader, but he had battle with Blaine as well.

This gave Ash an advantage as he knew what Pokemon the gym leader had. A Ninetales, Rhyhorn and Magmar. Although, upon further research, the boy discovered that Blaine also battles with an Arcanine and Rapidash. This meant that the boy could build a team based on that information.

So the group began to plan. Since Ninetales was weak against ground, rock and water types, Ash chose to use his Rhyorn. Rhydon was weak against grass, water, steel, ground, ice and fighting types, so he decided on using his Squirtle, hoping that the Pokemon's small body could easily outmanoeuvre the larger Pokemon's big body. The Pokemon could also double as a back-up for any fire types. While Magmar was weak against the same types as Ninetales, everyone agreed that Charmeleon should be used in a fire on fire battle. The there was Arcanine and Rapidash, both fire types. So, Ash selected his Poliwag and Ponyta.

As it would be a while until the group went to Cinnabar Island, Ash did not trade his Pokemon yet. After all, he was not going to give up on evolving them only after a few mock battles.

As day turned into night the group paid for some rooms in the tiny Pokemon Centre, hoping that it will be a clear day tomorrow. It was not that they were in a rush, in fact, they had lots of time. However, Ash really wanted to check on that Shellder in the other Town.

The next day the sun was breaking through the clouds, pushing the white and grey masses away. Today was a lovely day to take a ride to Sunny Town.

So, the three jumped onto their bikes and waved goodbye to Nurse Joy.

The bridge was just how the black haired boy remembered it, without the building signs of course. It was a white suspension bridge, like the Golden Gate bridge but with more suspenders rising and falling. The water below sparkled under the sun, blue as a sapphire.

Due to it being so early in the morning, there were not that many bike riders on the path, nor were there that manny cars on the road. However every few miles the group did see the occasional rider or driver.

As the sky grew darker, the group finally arrived in Sunny Town and rode towards the Pokemon Centre. Surprisingly, this Centre was much larger than the Cities, with three floors. The outside was painted yellow with a large red 'P' for Pokemon Centre, while the roof was red and the double doors were white.

After asking the Nurse Joy of this Pokemon Centre, if he could see Shellder, the pink haired woman smiled and led the black haired boy and his friends into the back of the Centre where they kept the more permanent staying Pokemon. It was there that the bivalve Pokemon sat, depressed on the sandy floor of a large tank.

"Hey," Ash smiled at the small Pokemon. He then put his hand on the glass and said, "Do you remember me?"

This caused Shellder to look up, revealing its black pearl body to the boy. Yes, Shellder did remember him. After all, he was the one that rode through the storm to ensure that he got the medicine that he so desperately needed in order to survive.

"I heard your trainer did not come back for you," Ash continued sadly.

This caused anger to spike through the small water Pokemon heart as it looked down at the sand heatedly. It was because of his trainer that he was ill in the first place and, then, when he got better said trainer abandoned him.

"Poor Shellder," Louise said. "I wonder who his trainer was?"

"His name is Damien Tanner," Nurse Joy suddenly said. "I am not supposed to tell people this, but I am just as upset about the situation. Never have we had someone abandon their Pokemon so callously. We only know his name because he had to sign in for Shellder to stay in the Centre overnight.

"Damien?" Ash muttered and then walked over to peek at the file that the Nurse had been reading from. "Ah! I know him."

To Ash's horror that same boy who had abandoned Charmander, now Charmeleon, had now abandoned another Pokemon. Why is he treating them this way? What stupidly height expectations could he have for his Pokemon that he saw fit a so readily abandoned them?

"You know him," Brock frowned. "How?"

"He abandoned his Charmander just before a storm hit," Ash tried to explain shortly, but ended up telling the whole story about how he had tried to bring the Pokemon to the Centre and how it had refused so he built a shelter and stayed there with it.

Suddenly, the group heard a pop of a Pokeball and Ash was then face to face with his Scyther. The green Pokemon was frowning at the picture of the blue haired teen, with narrow eyes.

"Scy! Scyther," ranted the mantis Pokemon.

"Pika!" gasped the yellow mouse Pokemon that sat on Ash's shoulder comfortably. "Pi, Pikachu?"

"Scyther, scy. Scy!"

The humans of the group had no clue what the electric type and the buy and flying type were talking about. So, they just stood there watching the pair back and forth as the conversation seemed to escalate into shouting.

Once the two were finished, Pikachu turned to Louise, Brock, Ash and Nurse Joy. He then pointed his yellow paw at the photo of Damien and then to Scyther, who was practically steaming with anger.

"I think," Brock started. "That Pikachu is trying to tell us that Scyther was also Damien's Pokemon."

"What? No way!" Ash cried out. "Then that would mean that Damien abandoned him in the forest."

"Yes," hummed Nurse Joy. "It appears that this Damien boy is clearly neglecting his Pokemon."

"But that means there may be more Pokemon out there that he has abandoned," Louise said.

"Yeah and his only excuse it that they were all weak," muttered Ash. "That is what he said when he abandoned Charmander when he was showing off to his friends."

"So what is going to happen to Shellder now?" Ash looked towards to depressed, yet slightly curious water type Pokemon. At least it had not lost all hope in humans, the boy thought.

"Well, we will have to release him back into the wild," Nurse Joy said. "We have been trying to hold off the release date, hoping that it trainer has just lost track of time (which can happen sometimes), however now that we know this is not true, it will need to leave. We cannot keep it here forever, after all."

At hearing this, the back haired boy stared intently at the bivalued Pokemon's white eyes. Shellder stared back just as intently, begging, pleading with Ash to not force him back into the wild. The boy's heart broke for the Pokemon.

"I want Sheller," Ash voiced, shocking everyone into silence. "I already have experience looking after Damien's abandoned Charmander and Scyther. I am going to show him just how strong the Pokemon he left are and that he is the reason for not training them properly."

"That is very honourable of you Ash," Nurse Joy smiled.

"I would have done it too," Brock suddenly announced pushing the serious conversation away as he once again became obsessed with yet another Nurse Joy.

Ignoring the dark skinned teen, Ash smiled back before saying to Shellder, " So, do you want to come with me?"

At this, the black, pearl-like Pokemon rose up from the floor of the tank. That was all the agreement Ash needed.

* * *

 **Hey, guys, I know it took me a little longer to publish this chapter, but here it is. I hope you like it!**

 **I also want to say that it looks like Ash will be catching an Aerodactyl, however, I think that I will have him catch some from other regions as well, especially Tyrunt and Amaura, who were the second most popular answers. Thank you for voting!**


	37. Chapter 37: A New Gym

**Chapter 37**

It has been about a week since Ash left Sunny Town with Shellder and the knowledge of Damien's neglect. The week had been full of winter storms, which were mostly rain, not snow. After all, the Kanto region was on the warmer side of the plant.

The group was now riding towards Dark City, a place that Ash remembered as being gloomy and run down. This is because two group (the Yas and Kas gyms) were battling to become the most worthy gym to be recognised by the Pokemon League. However, in the end, the two leaders had fallen into Ash's trap and had to rebuild the city that they had systematically begun to destroy with their street battles.

Now, the boy was looking forward to seeing what the city looked like without the chaos and the downtrodden environment.

As Ash, Brock, Louise and Pikachu rode towards the entrance the boy gasped. No longer was the city sign hanging crooked at an angle. Instead, being help up steadily by four large black pillars of wood was a black sign. 'Welcome to Dark City', was written in pure, clean white.

Then as they drew nearer, the group could hear laughing and lively chatter, as people shopped in the streets. Many store and stands filled the city selling anything from clothing to food. Salesmen shouted, "Bread! Great your fresh white bread here!" Whilst customers handed over money yelling, "Thank you!"

Ash had never seen the city, or any other city, this full of life. Gone was the debris and tumbleweed. Gone was the litter and damaged shop signs, and most importantly, gone was the fear of Pokemon trainers. Yas and Kas had done a good job.

As Ash, Brock and Louise locked their bikes to a wooden pillar, the laughing of children could be heard, growing louder and louder. Then suddenly a blue, white and red blue ran forward, straight into the black haired boy.

"Hey, it is you," Ash exclaimed from his place on the ground. Opposite him stood a boy with deep blue hair and black eyes.

"Ash!" the boy smiled. "You are back!"

"Yep," he smiled, popping the 'P' as he spoke. He then stared at the boy that used to be obsessed with the colour green. When Ash had first met the boy, he wore a dark green pair of shorts and light green and yellow stripped shirt. However, he now wore a red sun cap, a white shirt and blue denim jeans and a jacket. He looked almost exactly like Ash.

Then two other kids appeared behind the boy, wearing exactly the same thing.

"Ash!" they grinned.

"Hi, guys," Ash greeted the boys.

"I bet you are here to fight the KY Gym, aren't you," the first boy said.

"KY Gym?" Louise asked unsure as to why the boy would assume that.

"Yeah," the second boy with black hair said. "It only becomes a Pokemon League gym last month."

"Really!" Ash said excitedly. "Who is the leader?"

"Leaders," the third boy corrected. "To get a Merge badge you have to beat both Yas and Kas."

"Yas and Kaz now own a gym together?!" Ash questioned slightly worried.

"Yeah," all three of the boys said at once. Then the first boy continued, "Once they got their acts together the Pokemon League sent another Agent to investigate and they were both approve as long as they worked together."

"That is great!" Ash said. "Do you want to show us to the gym then?"

"Sure," the boys chirped.

The KY gym was in a small traditional Japanese dojo with light oak wood and cream painted walls. The front door was a shoji with translucent paper in a wooden frame which was protected from rain by a canopy. Above the canopy were two letters in light pink 'KY'.

"Hello," Ash called out. "Yas? Kas?"

Immediately after his call banging could be heard in the distance and the loud shouting of, "Challenger!" Then two men shot around the corner, the first one wearing a skin tight, black long sleaved shirt, dungarees and an orange scarf. The other man wore blue overalls and a red scarf around his neck.

As the two stopped in front of the group, both stared at the boy in recogntion. "Ash!," they shouted excited to see the boy after all this time.

"Er, hi," the boy said waving his hand awkwardly at the pair. "I heard that you guys had started a gym together."

"Yes," Yas answered. "Since Dark City can only have one official league gym, and we were definitely not going to start fighting again, we decided to work together. That way both of us could be what we want."

"Are you here to challenge us?" Kas asked his eyes twinkling with excitement.

"Yep," Ash said. "Once the boys told me that you opened a gym, I had to. When I win my battle with you guys I will have eight badges."

"Ah!" Yas exclaimed. "Do not be so confident. We are much stronger now."

"The one on one battle between Yas and Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town starts now," shouted Kas as he dropped his arms. The battlefield in the KY gym was different that the other gyms the boy had fought in, with the area covered in grass. Ash supposed that because the gym was relatively new and it had two owners to finance it, they could afford something a little better that a dirt covers field.

Predictably, Yas called out his Scyther, causing Ash to smile. He was considering putting his Scyther against Yas's, however he changed his mind last minute. "Spearow, I choose you!" the black haired boy shouted.

Since Scyther was weak against flying types, Ash had the type advantage in this battle. However, his disadvantage is that he has yet to fight with this Pokemon and, therefore, does not know its moves.

Quickly, the boy pulled out his Pokedex and listened intently to what it said, **"Spearow, the tiny bird Pokemon. Eats bugs in grassy areas. It has to flap its short wings at high speeds to stay airborne. This Spearow is male and knows the moves peaks, fury attack and aerial ace. It also has the egg move steel wing."**

"Battling with a new Pokemon," Kas said from the sidelines. "That is either brave or stupid."

"We will find out," Ash responded. "Spearow use peak."

"Dodge it," Yas shouted and with Scyther's ninja-like speed, dodging was a relatively easy task. "Sword dance, Scyther and then attack."

Yas' Scyther began to glow a natural green light as sword dance allowed it to increase its attack power. Therefore, as it sliced its blades towards Spearow. Ash knew if he got hit it could all be over.

"Spearow, fly higher and get out of the way'" Ash ordered and the tiny bird Pokemon instantly flew out of reach. The boy has studied scyther since he had caught one of his own and leant that despite being flying types these mantis Pokemons rarely stread their wingsand took to the air and he was right in this case.

Scyther stopped its attack, giving Ash the opening he was hoping for. It was the opportunity to carry out a severely damaging move.

"Aerial ace," the boy ordered with glee.

Thye flying and normal type Pokemon dived towards the Scyther, allowing the power of the wind to wrap around its body. However, as it flew towards the mantis Pokemon, Yas ordered it to use double hit.

The Spearow had two choices, the first was to avoid the two strikes, but lose the power of the aerial ace. The second was to keep going and be smashed into the floor. Unfortunately for the tiny bird Pokemon, loyalty was their fault, especially when they loved their trainers as much as they loved Ash.

"Dodge," Ash commanded, taking the Pokemon choice away, much to his relief. Then the black haired boy continued, "Now go in with steel wing."

Due to the adrenaline in the tiny birds body, the steel wing attack became stronger than ever before and so fast the Yas could not counter it. Therefore, it hit dead on.

"Scyther is unable to battle. Spearow wins," the referee called out noticing that the mantis Pokemon was unconscious on the ground.

Yas sighed before saying to Ash, "It appears we are not only ones who have become stronger. However, don't think you have won yet." With that said, Yas stepped back and away from the trainers, allowing Kas to take his place.

Ash instantly recalled his Spearow, knowing that if the man called out his Electabuzzthe flying and normal type Pokemon would be at a disadvantage. That and it was tired from the first battle. Unfortunately, the electric types only weakness was ground types. However, it is damaged normally by dragon types.

"Dratini," Ash shouted. "I choose you!"

Just as Ash predicted, Kas said, "Electabuzz go!"

"Dratini use ice beam," Ash said to his blue dragon Pokemon.

The dragon type Pokemon opened its mouth as if it was about to yawn, but instead a small cool blue ball formed, growing bigger and bigger it his jaws. Then it reared his head forward releasing a stream of zig-zagging power.

"Thunder punch," Kas ordered punching his fist into the air.

The black and yellow Pokemon instantly pushed its power into his right arm, causing it to crackle with electrical energy. It then threw its fist into the coming ice beam.

To both trainers surprise both attacks were shattered, leaving the Pokemon untouched.

"Amazing," brock said more to himself than the blonde beside him.

However, this did not stop Louise from asking, "What? What just happened?"

"Dratini and Electabuzz's attacks both carried the same amount of power," the teen tried to explain. "So when they collided together, they cancelled each other out."

"Don't give up yet Eletabuzz," Kas shouted at his Pokemon. "Use thunder bolt."

Ash smiled at this, before saying to his Pokemon, "Put your tail into the ground."

Dratini thought this was a very unusual order but did as he was told to do, bracing itself for the attack. However, what the blue Pokemon did not know was that the boy had memorised most of his Pokemons strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, he knew that dragon types were relatively resistant to electric attacks. Also, with its tail in the ground, it ensured that the thunder went straigth through Dratini.

"Now, use dragon pulse," Ash said.

Once again the dragon Pokemon opened its mouth, building up its power into a large sea green ball, which equalled Electabuzz's body in size. It would be very difficult to dodge this attack because even if the ball missed he affect effect sends a pulse of energy towards the opponent.

So Ash was not surprised hat Electabuzz had been hit, causing major physical damage. However, the boy was surprised that the electric type was still able to move after that. It stumbled to his feet, breathing heavily.

"Use wrap," Ash said.

As the Dratini, for the first time, physically touched its opponent, the Electabuzz could do nothing but weakly struggle. Ash's dragon Pokemon then began to squeeze the black and yellow Pokemon tighter, until it fell limply from its grasp.

"Electabuzz!" Kas shouted.

"Electabuzz is unable to battle. Dratini wins," the referee said. "Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town wins."

"Yes!" Ash cheered along with his Pokemon as his friends and the three boys ran up to him."

"This is great Ash, now you can entire into the Pokemon League," Brock said to his friend.

"Yeah," the three boys shouted excitedly. "You were awesome. I cannot believe you have a Dratini. It was so cool!"

On the other side of the battlefield, the two gym leaders smiled at the boy.

"We lost our first challenge," Yas sniffed sadly.

Kas nodded with the man, but added, "At least it was too Ash. After all, if it was not for that boy we would not be where we are right now."

This also caused Yas to nod enthusiastically, "That is true."

"Ash!" the two men shouted at the boy as they walked over. Kas then reached into his pocket and pulled out the badge. It was an arrow-like shape, divided into two long ways. One-half being green for Yas and the other half being yellow for Kas.

"Wow, thanks," the boy smiled.

He then pulled out his badge case and put his eighth badge in its place.

"You have got all eight badges already?" the boy with black hair said shocked that the boy had done it so fast.

"Really," the other boy said peeking over his friend's shoulder. "Awesome."

"That means you are going to be in the League, doesn't it."

"Of course," Ash said brimming with confidence.

"We will cheer for you then," the third child announced.

Ash and Pikachu could not help but stare at his eight well-earned badges with complete and utter happiness. Each one sparkled in their place.

"So what are we going to do now?" Brock asked. "Now that you have eight badges we do not have to go to Cinnabar Island."

Ash and Pikachu glanced up in surprise. What Brock said was true, he did not need to, but he wanted to. So in response, the boy said, "No, I still want to battle Blaine."

"Why?" Louise frowned.

"Because I battled Blaine last year and lost. I want to see if we have actually gotten stronger," was Ash's reply.

"Pika," the yellow mouse Pokemon on his shoulder nodded.

After Ash's last gym battle the group found themselves riding through the beautiful Grampa Canyon, which is right outside Neon Town, the town that never sleeps. All around them was golden yellow sand and light brown cliffs. Above them were clear skies and a scolding hot sun.

It was a relaxing ride until the group came across Gary Oak, Ash's worst enemy. The arrogant boy wore brown trousers, held up by a black leather belt, a dull white shirt and dark brown jacket. On his head was a brown sun hat that blocked the bright light from his eyes.

"Gary, what are you doing here?" Ash questioned.

"Once again Ash, you show just how little you know," came Gary's response, but when the boy did not react how he wanted him to, he sighed. "Last year there were sightings of prehistorical Pokemon. I am going to be the one to find them."

Ash tried to keep the disbelief from his face as he said, "Good luck with that."

"This just caused Gary to grunt, before turning his eyes to Louise and Brock. "Who are your friends?"

This also caused Ash to look back at the two people behind him. "This is Louise Dimare from Pallet Town and Brock, the previous gym leader of Pewter City."

"Well later, Ash," Gary sneered, just as a group of his fan girls came into view. Was it Ash or had Gary's attitude worse since the black haired boy had seen his last.

"Gary, Gary, he's are man. If he can't find them no one can," the girls in pink cheerleading outfits yelled.

"Er, right, bye," Ash muttered.

As the group continued on their way, they zig-zagged down a path leading to the bottom of the cliff. This path was created by the fossil diggers that came to Grampa Canyon every year, allowing them safer travel.

At the bottom of the cliff, there was a cave to the left and uneven terrain on the right.

"Hey, should we check out the cave?" Ash said wonder if there were any knew types of Pokemon in there.

"I do not know," Brock muttered.

"It does not look very safe," Louise said unsurely.

"Yes, but maybe there is a bunch of cool Pokemon in there," he continued. "Wouldn't it be great if we could catch some."

Brock thought about this for a moment before finally saying, "Okay."

The group had left their bikes outside the cave before entiring. However, they soon realised that it was too dark to go any further. So, in a quick decision, the black haired boy traded his Bellsprout for his Charmeleon, making a mental note to trade back later.

Inside the cave, the constant sound of dripping water richoched off the walls. Large peaks of rock grew out of the ground and ceiling, making the cave somewhere very dangerous if you were not careful. The darkness surrounded them and if it was not for Charmeleon's flame on his tail they would be blind.

Suddenly, Pikachu's body stiffened in fear as he felt someone or something staring fixedly at his back. Slowly the yellow mouse Pokemon turned around and froze, eyes wide in terror.

"Pi-ka," the yellow mouse said as loud as it would allow itself to go.

"What is it, Pikachu?" Ash said louder, turning the direction that his Pokemon has been looking at.

"Ah!" the black haired boy the exclaimed as his eyes met with a pair of glowing red ones. One pair then turned into two pairs, then into ten pairs.

"What! What is that?" Brockstuttered, also frozen in place.

Then, as the creatures stepped forward, close enough for Charmeleon's light to touch them the group gasped. The red eyes belonged to Omanyte, Omastar, Kabuto and kabutops.

Omanyte was a small, sky-blue ammonite Pokemon with ten tentacles and a pale yellow, helix spiraled shell on its back. Omastar had a similar appearance except for the fact that it had several sharp spikes on its shells mid sector.

Then there was Kabuto, which was a small Pokemon with a large brown shell covering its body. There were two small eyes facing upwards on the outside of its shell. Lastly, Kabutops, the evolved form of Kabuto, had a body that closely resembled a living skeleton with a half-moon, disc-shaped head and two small, forward facing eyes.

The groups fight or flight reflexes were on high alert at the look on the Prehistoric Pokemon eyes. They were beyond angry at the intrusion. They were furious.

Slowly, they took a small step back, then another and another.

Then when they felt like they were a safe distant away, the group ran for it. Not looking back. However, if they did then the group would have noticed that these Pokemon were very fast, but it was not until Ash tripped over that they discovered it.

"We are going to have to fight them," the black haired boy announced. "They are too fast to outrun."

This caused Brock and Louise to nod seriously, before grabbing a Pokeball.

"Geodude, I choose you," Brock yelled.

"Go Squirtle," Louise shouted but got a shock when Squirtle and her Psyduck came out.

Oh, well, the more he better, they three was fighting for their lives now.

 **Sorry, it took a while to update guys.** **PLEASE REVIEW AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THOUGHT OF THE KY GYM!**

 **Here is an update of Ash's Pokemon!**

1)*Pikachu - Male - Electric

2) Pidgeotto - Female - Flying, Normal

3) Raticate - Female - Normal

4) Primeape - Male - Fighting

5) Gloom - Male - Grass, poison

6) Butterfree - Male -Bug

7) Rhyhorn - Female - Ground, Rock

8) Golbat - Female - Poison, Flying

9) Poliwag - Female - Water

10) Shiny Gyarados - Female - Water

11) *Bulbasaur - Male - Grass, Poison

12) Charmeleon - Male - Fire

13) Squirtle - Male - Water

14) Seadra - Male - Water

15) *Bellsprout - Female - Grass, Poison

16) Haunter - Male - Ghost, Poison

17) Parasect - Male - Bug, Grass

18)Nidorina - Female - Poison

19)Muk - Male - Poison

20) Magnemite - N/A - Electric, Steel

21) Dugtrio - Male - Ground

22) Ponyta - Female - Fire

23) Espeon - Female - Psychic

24) Eevee - Male - Normal

25) Umbreon - Male - Dark

26) Glaceon - Male - Ice

27)Jolteon - Male - Electric

28) Snorlax - Male - Normal

29) JigglyPuff - Female - Normal, Fairy

30) Venomoth - Male - Poison, Bug

31) Togepi - Female - Fairy

32) *Spearow - Male - Flying, Normal

33) Clefairy - Female - Fairy

34) Tangela - Male - Grass

35) *Dratini - Male - Dragon

36) Scyther - Male - Bug, Flying

37) *Elekid - Male - Electric

38) Shellder - Male - Water

 **Louise's Pokemon**

1) Squirtle - Female - Water

2) Cubone - Male - Ground

3) Psyduck - Male - Water

4) Staryu - Male - Water

5) Starmie - Male - Water, Psychic

 **Brock's Pokemon**

1) Geodude - Male - Rock

2) Rhyhorn - Female


	38. Chapter 38: The Aerodactyl

_**Here it is. Another chapter.**_

 _ **Sorry this one is so short I have not had much time this week. However, to make up for it I am hoping to update within the next few days.**_

 _ **Please tell me what you think, it seems that my reviews are getting few and far between.**_

 **Chapter 38**

It was Geodude, Psyduck, Squirtle and Charmeleon again some of the oldest Pokemon know to the Kanto Region. The two Kabutops charged towards the group with its claws raised and anger in their eyes, just as the Kabuto's, Omanytes and Omastars eyes glowed red with malice.

Then suddenly the Pokemon frozen, released a grasp of breath and glanced wearily from left to right. The Kabutops began to shift from one foot to the other before turning their backs one the black haired boy and the group. As the brown, humanoid Pokemon walked further into the cave, the many Kabutops, Omanytes and Omastars chased after them. Not even glancing back at the group of humans.

Why had they left so suddenly?

"What happened?" Brock said, his voice echoing in the cave.

"I don't know," Ash muttered. "I was sure they were about to attack."

Louise nodded in agreement as her hand clutched at her rapidly beating heart. then a whooshing sound ripped through the silence, as a large body soared towards them slicing through the air like one of Aya throwing stars. The body then dropped lower, hitting Charmeleon who had not expected the attack. It then flew over to a large grey rock, where it perched looking down on the group.

This reptilian, bipedal Pokemon had large membranous wings and sharply pointed ears. It had a ridged snout with a gaping mouth and a strong low jaw full of serrated fangs. Its body was covered in a light violet grey skin with violet wings. It was an Aerodactyl. Ash had not heard of this Pokemon beside from reading old historical books in Professor Oaks lab.

Spreading out its wings, the ancient Pokemon released a cry of 'Aerodactyl' in a high pitched screech. It then dived towards the group with hunger in its eyes. This was not good.

"Charmeleon, use ember!" Ash shouted seeing now way out of this battle.

As bright orange sparks were released from the red fire type mouth, the fossil Pokémon propelled itself to the roof of the cave. It then dived down again this time with its head glowing a whitish blue.

It was attacking with iron head.

"Dodge it!" Ash shouted in a panic.

To the boy's relief, the smaller Pokemon leapt out of the way just in time, causing the Aerodactyl to shriek in anger. However, he then began to chew on his lips. Charmeleon only had one long-range attack, which did not seem to be working very effectively. They were stuck.

Sensing his friend's dilemma, Brock ordered, "Geodude, use rock throw."

While Louise called for Squirtle and Psyduck to use water gun. However, despite his friend's help, this did nothing to weaken the Pokemon. It did not help that the group was unsure of the Aerodactyl's type. If they knew the type they could pair the Pokemon with the advantage.

As the violet-gray Pokemon once again moved in for an attack, Ash said to brock and Louise, "Keep it busy."

"What why?" Brock shouted after his friend fiddled with something in his pocket.

"Just keep it busy," the black haired boy said.

When his friends nodded, Ash quickly pulled out his Pokedex, " **Aerodactyl, the fossil Pokemon. A ferocious, prehistoric Pokemon that goes for its enemy's throat with its serrated saw-like fangs."** After the Pokedex had finished its speech, the boy pushed one of the buttons for more information. " **Aerodactyl is a rock and flying type Pokemon said to exist over two thousand years ago. Its weakness is rock, steel, water, electric and ice types."**

"Okay, so that means we are on the right track with the type advantage, but that does not solve the flying problem," Ash groaned in frustration.

Suddenly, the Aerodactyl was above them, flying down. It then reached out a violet-gray reptilian foot and grabbed Ash around the torso. It squeezed hard, causing the boy to gasp in fear and pain as he was lifted into the air by the Pokemon.

"Ash!" Brock and Louise yelled as they tried to grab for the boy, only for his to slip through their fingers.

"Pika!" "Char!" The boys Pokemon exclaimed. The two Pokemon reacted fast, jumping onto the Aerodactyl and grabbing hold of its tail.

Looking up, Ash shouted, "No!" as he saw what the Pokemon was planning on doing. It was flying directly towards the ceiling, with no desire to stop, until-

CRASH!

Ash, Pikachu and Charmeleon cried out as sharp rocks brushed by leaving scratches and open wounds all over their bodies. However, the Aerodactyl was unphased by this as it flew through the open skies. The fresh air stung Ash's injuries as the bright light blinded him.

As the Aerodactyl flew up towards the sky, Charmeleon and Pikachu lost their grips on the Pokemon's tail, free falling.

"Pikachu! Charmeleon!" Ash shouted as his sight only to see his Pokemon fall to their deaths.

Then suddenly the red blob that was Charmeleon began to glow white as its body expanded. In his place was Charizard, a draconic, bipedal Pokemon. It was orange with a cream underside from the chest to the tip, which burns with a sizeable flame. He had a long neck, small blue eyes, raised nostrils and two blunt horns protruding from the back of its rectangular head. Most importantly, he had wings.

Charmeleon, no Charizard, roared in triumph and shot towards the falling Pikachu, catching him effortlessly on his back. He then flew quickly to Ash. It was time to save his trainer.

"Char," the fire type exclaimed as flames burst from its mouth, forcing the Aerodactyl to concentrate on dodging the extremely hot attack. However, despite the fossil Pokémon's efforts, one of the flame throwers hit its wing causing it to drop Ash as pain surged through its limbs.

"Ah!" Ash exclaimed as he fell through the air, feeling the wind whip against his clothes and hair. He was going to die, he thought as he closed his eyes. The boy braced himself for impact with the dry, hot desert ground, only to gasp in shock as his body impacted with something much softer than he imagined.

"Pika?" the yellow mouse Pokemon said as he nudged his trainer.

Quickly, Ash's eyes snapped open and he laughed in relief, "Good job Charizard."

"Char!" the fire type roared happily at the praise.

"Now, give it your best shot," Ash ordered.

Charizard's eyes glowed white for a moment as it roared its answer. He would definitely give it his all. Then the fire and flying types tail burst into a large angry flame and opened its mouth. After a moment, a red and yellow ball about the size of Charizard's head grew between his jaws and sent shooting towards the injured Aerodactyl like a meteor flying through the sky.

As the ball of flames hit the Pokemon, it began to fall like a rock towards an unaware Gary Oak who was digging his own tunnel to find the prehistorical Pokemon. Think on his feet, Ash pulled out his empty Pokeball and threw it at the unconscious Aerodactyl.

The boy felt his jaw drop in shock as the Pokemon was sucked into the red and white ball, unable to break free. Moments later, the ball vanished, teleporting to the lab where a very shocked Professor Oak will be discovered that Ash had caught a fossil Pokemon.

Ash had caught a fossil Pokemon! No one would have believed it! With a laugh Ash told Charizard to circle back towards Louise and Brock, leaving Gary none the wiser. The spoilt brat was still gleefully digging.

After leaving the desert the group quickly arrived at a small town Pokemon Centre. It was a relatively small white building with a sloping roof and a large red 'P'. The front doors were made of glass allowing the boy to see directly through them towards the nurse's desk.

"Hi, Nurse Joy, can we have two rooms for a week," Ash said.

"Your Ash Ketchum, right?" the Nurse said partially recalling the boy who was here last year.

"Yes, that is me," the black haired boy smiled.

"Oh, good," exclaimed the pink haired woman. "Professor Oak left a message asking if you could call him as soon as possible.

"Okay, thank you," Ash responded politely.

As the boy made his way over to the green video phone that the Centre allows the visiting trainers to use. He did not know whether to be excited or nervous as he was sure that the Professor wanted to talk about his most recent capture.

The phone rang and the screen flashed on to reveal Professor Oak in his white lab coat, red shirt and cream trousers.

"Hello, Ash," the man yawned, covering his mouth with his hand.

"Hi, Professor," Ash exclaimed.

"I am glad that you got my message," he said then his face began to glow with happiness. "How did you manage to capture an Aerodactyl?"

"Erm," Ash scratched his head. "It is a long story." He then glanced nervously at his friends and the back to the screen before saying, "How is it doing anyway?"

Professor Oak clutched the phone tighter and smiled from ear to ear, "Surprisingly well after I found out what type of environment and food it liked best. This is a great opportunity to study it... That is if you do not mind?"

"I do not mind, Professor," Ash laughed slightly, he had expected the old man to want to research the Pokemon. "But you should ask Aerodactyl as well, just in case."

"Good idea, Ash," the greying man said. "On another note, are you still planning on entering the Indigo League this year because Gary sure is. My grandson is looking to win this year."

"Of course, Professor, I even have all eight badges," exclaimed Ash as he hurried to pull out his badges and saw them to the man. "See!"

Suddenly, there was a crash in the background on Professor Oaks side of the phone.

"Stop that!" the man shouted. "Sorry. Ash, I have to go."

"Okay, bye Professor," Ash said as the screen went black.

The group then took a seat at one of the tables, opening up a map and setting it down in front of them.

"Where to next?" Ash said, not remembering the rest of the route that takes them to Cinnabar Island.

"We need to catch a boat from the dock at route nineteen which will bring us to the island," Louise announced point at the map as she told them.

"Hey, Ash are you not going to trade your Charizard for Bellsprout," Brock suddenly said changing topic.

"Oh, yeah, I completely forgot," Ash replied and pulled out his Pokedex. "Done!"

"Why don't we have another mock battle," Louise suggested to the boy. "I want my Cubone and Squirtle to evolve."

"That is a great idea, we can use the battlefield outside."

At the Pokemon Centre's battlefield, Ash and Louise stood opposite each other with a Pokeball in hand. Brock, once again, stood as referee. He had his arms positions above his head.

"Let the battle begin," Brock said and brought his arms down.

"Go Bellsprout," Ash shouted as he tossed the red and white ball.

"Go Cubone," Louise yelled.

"Bellsprout use wrap," Ash ordered.

"Dodge it," Louise said.

As the flower Pokemon released two green vines from its body and then shot towards the Cubone. However, the ground Pokemon leapt to the side, ensuring that it missed him completely.

"Cubone uses bone club," Louise shouted getting into the rhythm of the battle.

"Dodge it and use razor leaf," he said in response.

Cubone charged toward Bellsprout with his bone club raised. As he moved to smash the club down on the grass and poison type Pokemon it jumped into the air, throwing leave sharper than knives at the Pokemon. This time Ash's attack hit Louise's Pokémon causing it to stumble.

"Cubone!" Louise shouted in worry.

Suddenly, the ground type threw its bone at the Bellsprout. It broke through the razor leaves easily, hitting Bellsprout who cried out in pain. That was a surprise.

"That was a new move, Bonerang," Brock said. "That is great Louise!"

The blonde haired girl beamed at her Pokemon who stood panting in front of Ash's injured Bellsprout. However, it looked like the flower Pokemon had barely broken a sweat. Louise supposed that it was due to all the endurance training Ash had done with all his Pokemon.

"Now, use wrap again and then follow up with poison powder," Ash ordered.

This time Cubone was fast enough to dodge and was caught in the green vines that squeeze him tightly. Then the yellow flower Pokemon released thick purple smoke from its gaping 'O' mouth. The cloud swift moved towards to Cubone who struggled in the vines.

"Cubone is unable to battle, Bellsprout wins," Brock announced.

"Bell, Bellsprout," the small Pokemon cheered before glowing white.

Louise gasped, "She is evolving."

When the glow receded, the grass and poison Pokemon had transformed. She now had a yellow, bell-shaped body with a single green leaf on either side. It had a wide, gaping mouth with pink lips and circular eyes. There were three green dots on her forehead and a small hooked-shaped stem.

" **Weepinbell, the flycatcher Pokemon,"** Ash,s Pokedex said. **"It spits out poison powder to immobilise the enemy and then finishes it with a spray of acid. This Weepinbell is female and knows the moves vine whip, wrap, poison powder, razor leaf, and acid."**

"Good job, Weepinbell, Ash said and pointed his Pokeball at the flycatcher Pokemon. "Return."

"Ready Ash," Louise said as she returned her Cubone and called out her Squirtle.

"Spearow, I choose you," Ash smiled.

"Squirtle use water gun," Louise ordered.

"Fly higher to dodge, then come down for a peck," Ash said.

The avian Pokemon flew high into the blue sky causing the water gun to arc and fall back to the ground. The flying and normal type Pokemon then turned and dived towards the tiny turtle Pokemon. The then pecked furiously at it.

"Squirtle, withdraw," Louise called out and her Pokemon quickly obeyed.

Now, with the peak attack was ineffective, the Spearow moved from the water Pokemon. He knew it would not work now.

"Tackle," Louise then shouted quickly.

Her Squirtle then sprang out of its shell and sprinted towards the Spearow that was still relatively close to the ground. The bird Pokemon cried out in surprise and pain.

"Shake it off, Spearow," Ash shouted. "Then used aerial ace."

Spearow quickly recovered from the attack and began to climb into the air, its body glowing with the energy that was building up. He then dived down towards the Squirtle once again, the power building and building.

"Dodge!" Louise shouted.

"Follow it," Ash shouted as the Squirtle moved too early giving the Spearow enough time to adjust its attack.

"Squirtle!" the blue tiny turtle Pokemon exclaimed.

Spearow zoned in on the Squirtle. Getting closer and closer until. BANG!

Dust and dirt flew up into the air creating a cloud that masked the screen from Ash, Louise and Brock eyes. As it began to clear the friends gasped. There in the middle of the battlefield both the Pokemon lay unconscious on the ground.

"Spearow and Squirtle are unable to battle, it is a draw," Brock finally announced.

"Spearow return," Ash ordered before whispering to the Pokeball, "You did very well."

"Squirtle return," Louise said. "We'll get them next time."

"That was a great battle guys," Brock said as he walked over to his friends from the sidelines. "Louise you are getting stronger."

 **Ash's Pokemon**

1)*Pikachu - Male - Electric

2) Pidgeotto - Female - Flying, Normal

3) Raticate - Female - Normal

4) Primeape - Male - Fighting

5) Gloom - Male - Grass, poison

6) Butterfree - Male -Bug

7) Rhyhorn - Female - Ground, Rock

8) Golbat - Female - Poison, Flying

9) Poliwag - Female - Water

10) Shiny Gyarados - Female - Water

11) *Bulbasaur - Male - Grass, Poison

12) Charizard - Male - Fire, Flying

13) Squirtle - Male - Water

14) Seadra - Male - Water

15) *Weepinbell - Female - Grass, Poison

16) Haunter - Male - Ghost, Poison

17) Parasect - Male - Bug, Grass

18)Nidorina - Female - Poison

19)Muk - Male - Poison

20) Magnemite - N/A - Electric, Steel

21) Dugtrio - Male - Ground

22) Ponyta - Female - Fire

23) Espeon - Female - Psychic

24) Eevee - Male - Normal

25) Umbreon - Male - Dark

26) Glaceon - Male - Ice

27)Jolteon - Male - Electric

28) Snorlax - Male - Normal

29) Jigglypuff - Female - Normal, Fairy

30) Venomoth - Male - Poison, Bug

31) Togepi - Female - Fairy

32) *Spearow - Male - Flying, Normal

33) Clefairy - Female - Fairy

34) Tangela - Male - Grass

35) *Dratini - Male - Dragon

36) Scyther - Male - Bug, Flying

37) *Elekid - Male - Electric

38) Shellder - Male - Water

39) Aerodactyl

 **Louise's Pokemon**

1) Squirtle - Female - Water

2) Cubone - Male - Ground

3) Psyduck - Male - Water

4) Staryu - Male - Water

5) Starmie - Male - Water, Psychic

 **Brock's Pokemon**

1) Geodude - Male - Rock

2) Rhyhorn - Female


	39. Chapter 39: Getting Stronger

**Here is the next chapter, however before you start reading, I would like to thank Lloryn for pointing out the errors on the last chapter. They have now been corrected.**

 **Also, to all my readers please feel free to comment on any improvements I could make, I am open to constructive criticism.**

 **Lastly, I would like to warn you that this chapter is written strongly with the anime episode inside, so please be warned that the dialect will be similar.**

 **Chapter 39**

A week had passed and the sun began to rise promising a bright new day. It was on this day that Ash found himself battling with a middle-aged man. This man had pale skin, a muscled body and a shaved head. Wearing sunglasses and a black suit, he reminded Ash of a secret agent or someone straight out of Men in Black.

"Ekans go!" the man shouted.

"Bulbasaur, I choose you!" Ash said.

As both Pokemon burst from their Pokeballs and stood in front of each other, growling and hissing provokingly. Fortunately, as Bulbasaur was a grass and poison type, Ekans attacks would have very little effect on him. However, when it comes to his Pokemon grass type moves, their opponent has the type advantage, but that was not going to stop Ash from winning. The boy was up for a bit of a challenge.

"Ekans use bite," the man continued.

As the snake Pokemon shot towards Ash's Pokemon, he yelled, "Bulbasaur, dodge and use razor leaf."

The grass and poison type Pokemon barely got out of the way and quickly counteracted with a burst of sharp, weaponised green leaves.

"Poison sting," the bald man the retorted.

Ekans sent purple needles towards Bulbasaur's attack, causing the leaves to degrade and become ash scattered by the light breeze that caused the sunny weather to be a little less stifling. The boy had to admit that it was a great offensive method and catalogued the idea for future use. It was always good to collect strategies from other trainers to build onto your own.

"Poison sting again."

This time Bulbasaur had no time to dodge the attack, forcing it to take the needles head on. The small grass and poison Pokemon then collapsed to the floor. Just as Ash thought the battle was over, his Pokemon weakly pulled itself to his feet. His breathing was harsh and he winced as he moved but it appeared that Bulbasaur was not ready yo give up yet, even when Ash requested he to return.

"Okay, if you still want to battle then I cannot stop you," Ash sighed.

"You must be a lousy trainer if your Pokemon will not even listen to you," the man in black said.

Ash just ignored the trainer and focused on coming up with a strategy and fast.

"Tackle!" the man continued.

"Bulbasaur let's try that new move we have been working on," Ash shouted, more confident than he felt, as they had yet to master it. "Leech seed!"

Suddenly, the grass and poison type Pokemon began to extract the seed from its green bulb on his back and the shot it towards the purple snake Pokemon, who was still charging towards him in a tackle. The seen then burst open causing vines to wrap around Ekans, who then cried out in pain as its energy was sucked out of its body.

Finally, Ekans collapsed on the floor unconscious, with the vines still draining it.

"Ekans, return," the man then said and turned to the boy. "I have learned much from this battle. If we ever meet again, I will not be so easily defeated."

As the man walked away, Bulbasaur immediately dropped to the floor like a rock. His body broke into a sweat, becoming hot and clammy and then bulb on his back began to glow a sea blue colour. What was wrong with his Bulbasaur?

"Ash we should take him to the Pokemon Centre, quick!" Brock shouted breaking the boy out of his panic fuelled state.

The Pokemon Centre was further away that the group expected and it was not until dark that they rushed through the large wooden doors, leaving their bikes behind in the shadows. This Centre was more of a wooden cabin than a large city Centre, although it still contained a pink haired and gorgeous (according to Brock) Nurse Joy.

As he placed his Bulbasaur down on the Pokemon Centre table, Ash said, "My Bulbasaur is sick, can you help him?"

The Nurse stared at the grass and poison type Pokemon's glowing bulb muttering to herself, "I wonder if this Bulbasaur is..."

"Can you help him? Is he going to be okay?" Ash begged the Nurse who smiled slightly at the boys worry, if she was right then he would have no need to worry. Although the woman reflected, it was rare to come across a trainer that cared so much for their Pokemon.

"Unfortunately, I will not be able to tell you anything until I have run some tests. At the moment it could be a number of things," Nurse Joy informed Ash as she placed Bulbasaur onto one of the transportable beds. "Just be patient."

The group then watched as Chansey and the pink haired woman wheeled the Pokemon into the back rooms. However, only Louise was watching close enough to see the red tulips magically blooming as the sick Pokemon went by, causing her to blink rapidly. Was she seeing things?

* * *

In the E.R Bulbasaur lay on its stomach in the room as Nurse Job places electrodes all over its body and a cold press on its head in order to cool its body down a bit. The woman then went over to the machines that informed her of the Pokemon's heart rate, blood pressure and energy flow.

"It is happening," the Nurse gasped as she watched the energy flow spike at increasingly fast intervals. She then began to frantically write into her book, detailing the results of the examination.

Turning to Chansey, Nurse Joy smiled relieved, "Now, I am positive."

* * *

Nurse Joy found Ash pacing up and down the length of the viewing window moments later, as his two best friends and Pikachu sat anxiously in the cold, hard waiting room chairs.

As soon as the pink haired woman was in his sight, Ash ran over to her. "Nurse Joy, is my Bulbasaur going to be okay?" he said clenching his fists at his sides. Pikachu then leapt onto his trainer's shoulder and patted his head reassuringly, just like Ash had done to him on many occasions.

"Your Bulbasaur is perfectly fine Ash," the Nurse informed him happily. "It is not sick at all, it is just getting ready to evolve."

"Evolve!" the boy and his friends exclaimed. "Really!"

"Well with the amount of training and battling you guys have done it makes sense," Louise said as she stood up and made her way over to her friend.

"This is going to be great!" Ash said. "How long do you think it will take, Nurse Joy?"

"Let me see," the pink haired woman said and began to walk towards to window on their left. She then threw it open causing the shutters to slam into the walls on either side of the cabin window.

Outside, all of the flowers were in full bloom, turning the Pokemon Centre into a colourful array of pinks, blues and yellows. The air was thick with their sweet floral scent. It was a beautiful and tranquil sight to behold.

"Wow," Ash and Brock said in awe.

"It is just like at the reception!" Louise muttered just loud enough for the group to hear.

"What do you mean?" Ash asked looking at the blonde haired, blue eyes girl.

"Well, when Nurse Joy brought Bulbasaur into the E.R a vase of flowers started to bloom," Louise explained.

The group then silently watched as the flowers started to sparkle, causing the woods and garden to light up as they reflected the moonshine.

"Story goes that at a certain time of the year Bulbasaur from all over the world gather for a festival where they evolve, No one knows why they choose that time and it is different every year, but I think it has something to do with the alignment of the planets and the phases of the moon."

The mysterious tone of the Nurses voice made the children even more curious and awestruck from her tale. You could almost see them picturing a large group of Bulbasaur evolving in front of their eyes.

"So where do they go to evolve then?" Brock asked.

"Have you ever heard of the mysterious garden?" the pink haired Nurse asked, but when Ash, Brock and Louise shook their heads she continued. "Well that is where they go, but since no human being has ever seen the garden clearly, most people think it is an illusion..."

"The mysterious garden," Ash muttered.

"Pi-ka," the yellow mouse Pokemon mimicked.

* * *

Later that night when everyone was in bed, fast asleep, footsteps could be heard throughout the Pokemon Centre. It was this noise that brought Ash's Pikachu out of his slumber and drowsily glances around.

At first, the yellow mouse Pokemon could not see anything, however, when the footsteps got louder her was surprised to see Bulbasaur casually walking past the open doorway. What was he doing out of the medical bay?

"Pika," the electric type whispered and jumped off the bed from his place behind Ash. Pikachu then followed the grass and poison type catching hum staring longingly at the sparkles that drifted through the air, forming a path that will lead him to the Mysterious Garden.

Pikachu understood the Bulbasaur was anxious about evolving but wanted to become bigger and stronger. The Pokemon told the electric type of its dreams to one day be a Venusaur. However, one thing held it back, what if he changed so much that he would not recognise himself.

It was then the yellow mouse Pokemon took a moment to think before realising that Pikachu was right. He then nodded at his teammate, in a gesture that said he would come back, and then followed the sparkles towards the garden.

Pikachu watched the Bulbasaur go, its turquoise body joining another group if Bulbasaurs on his journey. The yellow mouse Pokemon then turned around and headed back to the Pokemon Centre knowing that when the sun rose his friend would return. Hopefully.

* * *

Early in the morning, the children were woken to a scream. They all started, jumping from their beds in a panic. Ash was dressed in an old shirt and his boxer shorts and Brock came out of his bed in a similar attire. When Louise got out of bed and calmed down enough to realise that she was standing in her nightly in front of two boys. Thus resulted in her shyness coming out and blushing brilliant red. Pikachu still lay in the black haired boy's bed, sleeping soundly.

Suddenly, Nurse Joy came running into the group's room. Her frantic looked caused the children to glance worriedly between each other.

"What?" Ash said in tired confusion.

"Ash I am so sorry," Nurse Joy said tearfully. "I can not find your Bulbasaur. He is gone!"

"What?" Ash exclaimed. "He can't be."

"Calm down, Ash," Brock suddenly said sensing his friends worry. "We will find him."

"Yeah, Ash," Louise said. "You and Nurse Joy look around downstairs and Brock and I will search for him upstairs with me."

"Okay," Ash nodded pushing his emotions to the side, quickly got dressed and began to search all of the rooms downstairs. "Bulbasaur! Bulbasaur!"

An hour later, when the sun had finally risen, the group's search had expanded to outside. They had turned the entire Pokemon Centre upside down looking for Ash's grass and poison type Pokemon, only to discover he was not in the house.

"Bulbasaur!" Ash shouted walking through the long grass.

"Bulbasaur," Brock and Louise yelled strolling at the edge of the forest/woods.

Then over the hills, a dark figure could be seen moving towards them. Pikachu, who had only just woke up, was sitting in the doorway yawning.

Then the yellow mouse Pokemon snapped awake upon seeing the shadowed figure. "Pika!" he exclaimed catching all of the human's attention.

"What is that?" Louise said.

As the figure got closer and closer to the group, revealing a quadruped Pokemon similar to a dinosaur. It has blue-green skin with darker patches. On top of its head are pointed ears with black inside, and it has narrow red eyes. The bulb on its back has bloomed into a large pink bud and short brown trunk surrounded by leafy green fronds support the bud.

"It is an Ivysaur," Ash said.

"What is an Ivysaur doing -," Louise started but drifted off as she began to realise something.

"You do not think that that is your Bulbasaur do you?" Brock voiced what everyone was thinking.

"Ivy!" the Pokemon suddenly said and began to run forward. "Ivysaur, Ivy!"

"Bulbasaur," Ash said as the Pokemon ran into the boy's arms. "I can't believe you evolved without telling anyone."

"Ivysaur!" the Pokemon exclaimed.

"Well, as long as you are happy with your decision," Ash said. "I am just glad you returned."

"Pika, pi," Pikachu said as he ran to the Ivysaurs side.

As Pikachu and Ivysaur began to talk, Ash pulled out his red Pokedex, **"Ivysaur, the Seed Pokemon. When the bulb on its back grows large, it appears to lose the ability to stand on its hind legs. This Ivysaur is male and knows the moves growl, tackle, leech seed, vine whip, take down and razor leaf."**

* * *

Ash was excited that another of his Pokemon had evolved, but now it was time to get them all too.

"Everyone, come on out!" Ash shouted with his two friends calling out their Pokemon.

This was going to be one of Ash's normal training sessions, which required two miles long runs, whilst dragging rocks that equal each Pokemon in weight. They were also going to focus on building up their Pokemon's power in their attacks. Hopefully, after a few more training sessions his Pokemon will evolve.

"Ready, everyone!" Ash shouted.

"Pika!" the yellow mouse Pokemon cheered along with the rest of Ash, Louise and Brock's Pokemon.

"Let's go!" Ash said and began to pull a rock behind him and the Pokemon followed. The black haired boy had told Louise and Brock to start preparing the next stage of the training as well as some snacks.

"Faster guys you are almost there," Ash shouted as they were nearing the end of their marathon. "You can have a ten-minute break when you get there."

Most people would assume that the black haired boy was a slave driver and too hard on his Pokemon, but those that got to know Ash knew that that was not true. After all, he did always train with the Pokemon and did not ask them to do anything that he would not do himself. They were still his friends.

"Back to work," Ash shouted a little later. "Ten minutes is up!"

* * *

A few weeks after Bulbasaur evolved, the group sat at a picnic with his friends and Pokemon. They bathed in the sun eating ham and cheese sandwiches or Pokechow, with their bikes lodging leisurely against a tree.

It was there that another group of kids walked by with a book in hand. The first kid had black hair and black eyes and wore black trousers with a blue denim jacket. The second boy had deep red hair and large green/blue eyes, wearing denim shorts and orange shirt. The last kid was a girl who wore a light purple dress.

"Okay, how about this one," the girl said. "What is a fire type most effective against?"

The black haired boy smirked and said, "That is easy. Bug, grass, steel and dragon."

"Wrong," the red headed boy said. "It is bug, grass, steel, and ice, not dragon."

"Looks like you need to study more if you want to pass the Pokemon league admissions exam," the girl informed the boy who answered the question wrong.

Ash, upon hearing this, frowned, "Pokemon League admissions exam." It did not make sense for people to study to get into the Pokemon League. Surely they needed to catch Pokemon, train and battle with then.

"Oh I have heard of that," Louise said clapping her hands together. "The exam was established a few years ago to give trainers with little time an opportunity to enter the League, instead of travelling from one gym to another.

"That makes sense," Brock muttered nodding his head.

However, to Ash, it did not. After all, there was more to battling than knowing a type's strengths and weaknesses. This is what the boy had personally experienced as he had won battles where his Pokemon had been at a type disadvantage and lost battles where he had the type advantage.

So, feeling like he had to prove himself, Ash suddenly said, "I am going to enter that exam."

A little while later, Ash and the group entered a large white building that was three stories high. It also had large grassy areas and one dirt Pokemon battlefield. So, maybe they were required to do some battling before they could pass.

Inside the Pokemon League admissions centre, were a group of people wearing blue overalls with a red 'P' printed on the chest. There was a large desk that stretched out into half a rectangle, separating the applicants from the employees.

"Here at the Pokemon League admissions centre we evaluate applicants based on their combined written and practical skills exams," a man behind the desk informed the group. "Those who pass receive this badge!" he then said pulling out a red heptagram badge with a golden 'P' in the centre. This go Ash excited because if he passed he would earn a ninth badge.

"Take this, it is your testing number," the man continued holding out another, plain green badge with the number seven on it.

"Wow," Ash said reaching up to take a number. "Thank you, Sir."

"Finally, you have to leave your Pokeballs here," the employee said.

"Oh," Ash frowned. "Okay. Is it okay if my friends take care of my Pikachu because he does not like to be inside his Pokeball."

"I do not see why not," the man said before walking away. "Good luck."

After all, applicants received their numbers they were lead into three separate rooms which seated about fifty people. In these rooms, the examinees were sat in front of a computer facing two examinators.

"This test will measure your overall knowledge of Pokemon," one of the examiners said. "You will be told some facts and, using the two buttons in front if you, you will select whether they are true or false."

Then the second examiner jumped in, "Okay, so if you are ready, let us begin!"

The screen in front of Ash suddenly flickered on revealing a round bodied Pokemon with a thick, powerful tail. It had soft pink skin with yellow lines curving around its body.

"Lickitungs tongue us twice as long as its body. True or false?" a robotic voice said causing Ash to snort. This was too easy, although he was expecting the questions to get harder. The boy thought as he clicked on 'true'.

Then a picture if a small, fox-like Pokemon appeared. It had a red-brown pelt and brown pupil-less eyes with large, pointed ears. The Pokemon also had six orange tails with curled tips.

"Ninetales evolves from Vupix only from the use of a fire stone," the computer said. Once again Ash pressed true.

"Hitmonlee is also known as the punching demon," came the next fact and Ash quickly pushed false as he recalled the announcer at the Pokemon P1 Grand Prix saying that Hitmonlee was a kicking fiend.

"The only attack Magikarp originally knows is Splash." True.

As Ash breezed through the test some if the applicants grew stressed as they began to second guess their answers, whilst others just sat there pressing the same button for every question. It was clear that they thought they could get at least half right by doing this.

"Caterpie is the world's smallest Pokemon. True or false?"

This question caused the boy to pause and think a little. He compared Caterpie with other Pokemon he has seen and caught on his journey then quickly pressed 'false'. After all, Ash was sure his Diglett was much smaller.

"Koffing was originally discovered in a bath house, true or false?" the computer asked.

Ash had no idea on this question and just took a shot in the dark, pressing false. He then bookmarked the question so if he had time later, he could go back to it.

He was going to prove that you did not have to study to pass this exam. He was going to show that experience matters as well.

It was now time for the second exam, which will measure a person's ability to recognise Pokemon. This test was multiple choice and because many Pokemon looked similar the correct answer gives someone two points, a possible correct answer gives them one point and a wrong answer gives them no points.

The examiner then said, "Please identify the Pokemon from the silhouette that will be shown on the board."

The first one was just a circular black shadow, which caused Ash to frown. It could have been lots of things. However, the choices they were given were a Voltorb, Electrode, Jigglypuff and Koffing. All of these Pokemon were round in shape, however, most examinees could easily cross Koffing off the list as its body was not a smooth flat surface. Another part of the examinees decided that it could not be Jigglypuff as it had small triangular ears that popped out of its head. Therefore, that left Voltorb and Electrode, that were both round ball-like Pokemon that were coloured like Pokeballs. Ash decided to choice Voltorb.

"The correct answer that will give you two points is Jigglypuff seen from above." This caused Ash to gap at the man, how was that question fair in any way, shape or form?

The second question then showed a spiral pattern which the examiner asked which Pokemon displayed it. The choices were Poliwag, Poliwhirl, Arbok and Amanite. Ash selected Poliwag, going with the familiar as he could see his own Poliwag clearly in his mind's eye.

"And the answer is Poliwag," said the examiner. "If you chose Poliwhirl then you would be wrong as the swirl on its stomach changes direction when it evolves. Therefore, you will get a zero of that."

From outside the exam room, Brock and Louise looked through the window. They could just barely hear the examiner asking his questions but they both agreed that they were extremely difficult. In fact, some of these questions were almost impossible.

The two then saw flames appear on the screen and heard the examiner ask what Pokemon did they belong to. The choices were Rapidash, Ponyta, Charmander and Charmeleon. Ash wanted to say Charmander, however, upon looking back at the picture the flame did not appear to come from a small concentrated area. So the boy chose Rapidash instead, although the answer could have also been Ponyta, but the boy decided to go with his gut.

"The answer for this one is Ponyta," the examiner said. "However, if you have chosen Rapidash you will receive one point."

The black haired boy could not believe how hard this exam was getting. At first he thought is would be relatively easy, however, now he knew better. He had a sinking feeling that it was going to get even more difficult with every question that passed.


	40. Chapter 40: The Beginning of The End

**Hey guys, I am back.**

 **Sorry it took so long to update, I have had a bad couple for weeks. I hope you enjoy the next chapter.**

 **Chapter** **40**

After the second exam was over, everyone was encouraged to take a break. It was during that time that Ash met with Brock, Louise and Pikachu and the scores for the two exams were released. Out of three hundred and forty-seven applicants, the black haired boy had been ranked ninety-seventh with one hundred and sixty-one points out of two hundred and fifty, which he was relatively proud of. Those that were ranked more than two hundred were not allowed to continue into the next stage of the exam.

The next exam was to battle with a random team of Pokemon, apparently it is supposed to determine how well a trainer can adapt. Everyone watched as the competitors battled their examiners, witnessing defeats and triumphs. However, Ash was not worried, battling was his strength and now he could prove that he had the skills to pass the exam without even studying.

"Ash Ketchum," the next examiner said and the boy quickly moved to stand in the trainers box in front of the brown haired man.

"Okay, let's give it a try shall we," Ash said to the Pokeball he held in his hand.

"Are you ready, Ash," the blue overalls wearing examiner yelled over to the boy. When he nodded, the man then threw out his Pokeball, revealing a Flareon.

Ash then threw out his Pokeball shouting, "Pokeball go!"

What emerged from the ball was definitely not what Ash was expecting, however, he would make it work. After all. he had battled with this Pokemon a couple of times since he had come across Team Rocket. Now, what were Weezing's attacks?

"Flareon, flamethrower!" the examiner ordered.

"Use smog and dodge it," Ash shouted.

As a spiral of red and yellow flames twisted towards Ash's Weezing the purple poison type released black smog from the holes all over its body. As it did so the Pokemon then moved behind the fire type.

As the smog attack began to clear, the examiner called for his Pokemon to use leer, however, it did nothing as the poison type Pokemon was no longer in front of the evolved Eevee.

"Now, double hit," Ash ordered, causing the Weezing to burst from the slowly reducing black cloud and slam straight into the Flareon. Not once, but twice.

"Fire fang, Flareon," the man then shouted.

"Smokescreen," came Ash's response blinding the examiner Pokemon, causing the man to smile to himself. This kid was good, although it looks like he is doing everything on a whim, he is actually planning his defence and countering with an attack of his own.

"Now, use tackle attack," the black haired boy ordered, knocking Flareon out of the match as the large purple body slammed directly into the orange and cream Pokemon.

The crowd around the boy cheered at his first victory, resulting in him blushing a light rosy red. It was odd battling with such a large audience, although Ash supposed that he would get used to it. After all, the crowd at the Pokemon League is going to be much larger.

"Round two, Pokeball go!" the examiner shouted throwing his red and white Pokeball.

The Pokemon that came out this time was a Jolteon, another evolved form of Eevee. This caused Ash to think that maybe the brown haired man had an entire team of evolved Eevee's with him and since they were all the main elements the next one was possibly a Vaporeon. He would have to wait and see if he was correct.

"Pokeball go!" Ash shouted as well, praying that this Pokemon was not a water type, which had a huge disadvantage against electric types. To the boy's relief, an Arbok appeared.

"Agility, Jolteon," the examiner ordered not giving the boy any time to think on this one. "Arbok use leer," Ash shouted.

This attack caused the electric type to freeze in fear, its sharp hair pointing to attention, "Good, use poison sting."

As the Cobra Pokemon shot purple stings at the Jolteon it trainer ordered it to use thunder, causing the Pokemon to snap out of its fear induced state. The brilliant yellow attack clashed with the poison sting, resulting in the two attacks exploding in the air. No one was hurt or damaged in any way.

"Poison sting again," Ash shouted not sure what else to do as most of Arboks attacks required them to touch the Pokemon. This is something he wanted to avoid, as the spikes on Jolteon would only hurt his Pokemon.

"Use quick attack to dodge and then go in with thunder fang," the man shouted.

"Arbok, no!" Ash yelled, wincing slightly as the white and yellow electric type sank its teeth into the Cobra Pokemon's neck. Sighing in defeat, the boy returned his Pokemon and called out his last team member, "Pokeball go!"

The Pokemon that emerged from the ball was a Meowth. Ash Ash contemplated the cat Pokemon's attacks the examiner returned his Jolteon and summoned out a Vaporeon. Ash was right, looks like the man had a whole team of evolved Eevee's.

"Meowth uses fury swipes," Ash ordered first.

"Vaporeon, use ice beam now," said the man.

So, as the cat Pokemon ran towards the water Pokemon a stream of blue power burst from Vaporeon's mouth.

"Dodge it and use screech," Ash shouted in a panic.

Much to the boy's relief, the Meowth moved out of the way just in time with its cat-like flexibility. It then turned to face its opponent and released a high pitched sound which stopped Vaporeon's attack and caused the Pokemon to bring back in pain.

"Bite," Ash ordered.

"Dodge and use a tail whip," the examiner said and in a flash, his blue water type jumped to the side and slammed its tail into the cat Pokemon. Ash smaller Pokemon was then sent flying back and skidded to a halt just in front of the boy. "Now, use water gun."

"Use slash repeatedly," Ash commanded. So as the stream of water came towards to cat Pokemon, it cut into it, causing the attack to split in half. Every time the Meowth did this it moved forward bit by bit, so when it used slash for the last time it was not just the attack that was cut, it was the Vaporeon as well. The Pokemon cried out in pain, before collapsing onto the ground in defeat.

"Vaporeon return," the examiner said. "Congratulations, Ash you passed the final round."

"Really!" Ash said in surprise.

"Yes, you fought very well, Ash," the man said as he began to walk towards the black haired boy. "So, this belongs to you."

The man then handed Ash the red and gold badge causing him to burst into a brilliant smile. "Look, Pikachu," Ash shouted over to his yellow mouse Pokemon. "I did it!"

"Pika," his Pokemon shouted right back.

"Look!" Ash exclaimed as the group finally made it to the docks. "There is the boat to Cinnabar Island."

The smell of the salty blue sea caused Ash, Brock and Louise to smile in content. There was something very relaxing about that scent and the sound of the waves brushing up against the concrete docks and pristine boats. Children ran, screaming with laughter as they boarded the large white vessel, their parents following leisurely behind them.

"Well, what are we waiting for, let's go!" Brock shouted and quickly began to ride towards the boat, or rather a ship. It had two stories of windows with Angel of the Sea written on its side. Sure it was a different boat from last time, but it was just as beautiful.

"Hey, wait up!" Louise shouted trailing behind the dark skinned teen on her white bicycle.

"Pika," the yellow mouse Pokémon shouted from his perch on Ash's shoulder, as if to say hurry up, causing the black haired boy to grin widely. They were friendly going to get their volcano badge, but first Ash had to switch out his Pokémon.

So, the first thing the boy did as he and his friends got into the luxurious cruise ship was to flip open his Pokedex. He then selected his Ivysaur, Weepinbell, Spearow, Dratini and Elekid, changing them for his Rhyhorn, Squirtle, Charizard, Poliwag and Ponyta.

"Hey, why don't you choose Aerodactyl, wouldn't it be a better choice. After all, it is going to be stronger," Brock suggested as he watched Ash over his shoulder.

"Yes, but is it going to listen to me?" came the boys response. "Aerodactyl is a prehistoric Pokémon, meaning it has been alive for thousands of years. So, I have a feeling that it would be like a Good who is being ordered around by his Grandchild - it will probably not listen until I have gained it's respect."

"Of course, that makes sense," Brock said.

"Um," Louise said. "Isn't Cinnabar Island a resort Island. I heard that trainers don't even go there anymore."

"Don't worry, I know where I need to go," Ash informed the girl.

All Louise did was shrug her shoulders, turning back to gaze at the water that was rushing past the boat. Occasionally, she would see a dark blur swim by the large moving vessel. The blonde could not be sure what Pokémon they were but she was almost certain that she saw a group of Tentacool or Tentatively as well as a Lapras.

A day later, the group arrived at Cinnabar Island, which was packed full of the bodies of tourists. The air was filled with the indistinguishable amount of voices, creating a loud hum throughout the market places. Right in the centre of this market was the torn down gym that used to belong to Blaine before the place was over run by tourists looking for a good time.

"Wow, look at this place," Brook gaped in awe.

"Yeah, it is a complete tourist attraction. It is a shame that because of that trainers no longer come to the Island," Ash informed the group.

With Pikachu on his shoulder, Ash lead Brock and Louise down the dirt paths towards Blaine's Inn. They walked past modern Japanese buildings and a group of Islanders playing odd music. The sun burned in the sky, causing sweat to break out on their skin, until they finally stopped outside the Big Riddle Inn.

"What is this place? I thought you were going to find a gym," said Brock.

"This is where the gym leader works," Ash informed the black haired boy.

The Big Riddle Inn was an older western style mansion, with a clock at its helm. It was hidden in the trees above a small park. The door was a large oak that echos Ash's knocks throughout the building.

A few seconds later the door opened to reveal a man with long blonde hair and a blonde mustache. He wore hippie clothes that made Ash's lips twitch in a quick smile as he recalled the bolding old man that hide under this disguise.

"Ash," the old man said in his dreamy hippie voice. "It is so good to see you."

"It is nice to see you again as well," the black haired boy said purposely avoiding using the man's name. "I want a rematch."

"Really now," Blaine said with a smirk. "Are you sure you are ready to battle me again?"

"There is only one way to find out," Ash responded confidently, with his two friends watching on in confusion.

"True," Blaine nodded. "Follow me then."

The blonde haired man then turned around and lead the group through the Inn. The wooden floor made every step they took sound like a heard of Ponyta, the walls were painted a mustard yellow.

Blaine stopped beside a blank mustard yellow wall with nothing but a light switch on it. As the man reached up and flipped it on, the group frowned in confusion and Pikachu tilted his head questioningly. Despite the fact that it was a light switch no additional source brightened the area.

Ash opened his mouth to ask Blaine what he was doing, but immediately closed it when the wall suddenly eased back and slide open. It was a secret door, just like the one that Togepi found on the side of the volcano.

However, unlike that secret passageway there were not stairs leading to the dark abiss. Instead, there were slops that zig-zagged to the base of the volcano.

"Where are we?" Louise voiced as she followed her friends into the darkness. Everything they walked passed an indent in the wall a candle would immediately flicker to life.

"Blaine created another gym that tourists could not see and trainers have to be invited to," Ash tried to explain.

"Every trainer I met that is searching for Blaine is told a riddle in order to find this place," the disguised gym leader explained.

"So you work for Blaine?" Brock asked.

"No," Ash smiled secretly as the group came to a stop in front of the door he knew would lead to the firey battlefield.

The blonde haired man then threw open the door, causing the arena to fill with light. He then walked in front of the group and pulled off his wig, "I am Blaine."

After the initial stock of the man's true identity wore off, Louise gaped as she stared at the rock battlefield that was suspended over that volcanoes burning core. This caused the air around them to become stiflingly hot, after all they were just above the magma chamber. The molten rock flowed upward through vents that were deep in the walls around them.

Ash, Pikachu, Louise and Brock made their way over to the other side of the arena, to the trainers box, trying not to think about what would happen to them if they fell into the magma.

"Ready for a three on three battle," Blaine asked as confident as he was before.

"Of course," Ash smirked pulling out his Pokémon.

Blaine and Ash then threw the red and white balls towards the rock battlefield shouting:

"Ninetales go!"

"Rhyhorn, I choose you!"

"I see you have developed a strategy," Blaine said. "Are you sure it will work?"

"I am planning on it," the black haired boy responded.

"Go Ninetales fire spin now," the man said pointing at Ash's Rhyhorn. The boy knew that the gym leader had ways of getting over the type advantage, but he was not going to go down that easily.

"Dodge and use horn attack," he shouted and watched as the rhinoceros-like Pokémon jumped away from the fire attack and then charged towards the fox Pokémon. However, before the attack could hit Ninetales leapt gracefully into the air, causing Rhyhorn to run straight past.

"Quick attack," Blaine ordered his Pokémon.

"Stand your ground," Ash shouted as he saw the fox Pokémon disappeared in a blur of movement.

As Ninetales shot towards Rhyhorn, the rock and ground Pokémon froze, spreading its legs evenly apart. Then it began to roar in pain, however not once did it flinch or buckle with the pain. His grey plated legs did not even quiver when the fox Pokémon hit it again and again.

When Ash could see Ninetales slowing down he shouted, "Now Rhyhorn, fury attack."

Suddenly, there was a red gleam in the ground and rock type Pokemon's eyes as it charged towards Ninetales, who was still trying to catch its breath. Rhyhorn's body then slammed into the fire type three times causing a lot of damage.

"Ninetales," Blaine shouted in worry.

Ash grinned, "Horn attack."

"Confuse ray," Blaine commanded.

There it was, an attack that Blaine would be able to use against the types that Ninetales was weak against. There as only one move that Ash could think of to get out of this; Bulldoze. However, Rhyhorn had only just started learning it a month ago. Would he be able to carry out the attack.

There was no time like the present to find out.

"Rhyhorn, use Bulldoze," Ash ordered.

Brock and Louise, who stood on the sidelines, held their breaths in anticipation. They both knew that ground and rock types had yet to perfect the move. In fact, whenever Rhyhorn carried it out it tended to die off just before hitting it's opponent. So they watched intently as Rhyhorn stomped down onto the ground with one of its feet, sending three attacks shooting towards the Ninetales, who had its eyes closed in preparation for the confuse ray.

Just like with the training the attack never hit. Instead, it lost its energy metres before the fire type Pokémon.

Blaine laughter, "You used a move before your Pokémon had yet to master it. Shame it could not be done, you would have stopped Ninetales with that attack."

Suddenly, the fox Pokemon's eyes shot open, glowing ominously before they connected with Rhyhorn's. The rock and ground type then began to stumble around the battlefield. Getting too close to the edge, which would cause Ash's heart to clench at the thought of Rhyhorn's falling into the molten lava beneath them.

"Rhyhorn, return," Ash shouted holding out his Pokeball. "You did very well."

"Poliwag, I choose you," Ash shouted.

"A water type, how predictable," Blaine said.

"Ninetales, use confuse ray again."

This time Ash saw the attack coming and had planned for it. "Poliwag use dig," he shouted. "But be careful, there is not much ground."

The blue tadpole Pokémon dived under the ground, just as Ninetales opened its eyes. The fire type glanced around, not sure what to do, only to have the attack cancelled.

"Water gun," Ash shouted.

Poliwag immediately jumped out centimeters from Ninetales and shot a high powered water gun at the fire type.

"Fire spin," Blaine ordered his Pokémon.

"Back up and use water gun," Ash said, and watched as his Pokémon leapt back towards his training box, firing yet another water gun. Both attacks clashed but Ninetales was stronger, slowly the fire pushed the water back.

Under his breath, Ash muttered, "Come on, come on." However, Ash knew he was loosing.

Then white light engulfed Poliwag and it's body began to expand, growing bigger with it water gun getting stronger. When the light vanished it revealed Polishing, a blue, bipedal Pokémon with a spherical body. It had bulbous eyes that protruded from the top of its head. A black and white swirl covers it's belly, which are actually it's organs showing through its thin skin.

As Poliwag evolved into Polishing the water gun continued, pushing back the fire until there was no more fire and the water gun hit Ninetales. The fox Pokémon cried out in pain before collapsing and being unable to move.

Whilst Blaine called back his Ninetales, Ash scanned his newly evolved Pokémon with his Pokedex. **"Poliwhirl, the tadpole Pokémon. Capable of living in or out of water. When out of water, it sweats to keep it's body slimy. This Poliwhirl is female and knows the moves water gun, bubble, double slap, hypnosis, dig and rain dance."**

"That was very lucky," Blaine said as he took out another Pokeball. "Let's see how far this luck will go, Arcanine."

Arcanine is a quadruped, canine Pokémon with an orange pelt marked by jagged black stripes. It has diamond shaped ears with beige insides, black eyes, a round, black nose and two pointed teeth protruding from its upper jaw.

"Arcanine use bite," Blaine ordered.

As the fire types mouth glowed a dark purple and pulled back its lips to reveal it's fangs, Ash said, "Double slap."

Poliwhirl waited for Arcanine to change towards her before pulling one hand back and slamming it into the fire type before pulling the other back and hitting Arcanine again, sending the Pokémon into the ground.

"Retreat and use fire spin," Blaine said and the fire type quickly pried open his mouth causing a spiral of flames to tunnel towards them.

"Rain dance," Ash ordered.

Immediately, Poliwhirl's body began to glow as it raised it's arms above its head and jumped from one foot to another. Clouds began to form within the volcano, and a short torrent of rain came. Too short.

"Ha!," Blaine laughter. "It is too hot in here for a rain cloud."

"I got all I need," Ash responded, which was true. All they needed was for Poliwhirl and Arcanine to be touched by the rain dance for the fire type attacks power to decrease and water type attacks to increase in power.

So, while the fire spin decrease in power, Ash ordered a water gun, which had increased in power.

Poliwhirl defeated Arcanine just like she defeated Ninetales, in a clash of fire and water, in which water won. However, Poliwhirl was tired meaning that she would not last long in the final battle.

"Poliwhirl return," Ash shouted and the water type was sucked into the red and white Pokeball. He then fingered another one unsure if he should go for a fire or water type. In a snap decision, Ash grabbed for the Pokeball, saying, "Charizard, I choose you."

Blaine did not reach for his Pokeball, instead he stretched out his arms. Ash knew what the bolding man was doing. "Magmar!"

Just like last year, from the depths of the molten magma the red and yellow flame Pokémon emerged. The molten rock dropped off the Pokemon's body like it was cool water, not even bothering it. As the spitfire Pokemon's feet touched the ground of the battlefield, it smoked beneath them.

"Magmar, fire punch now," Blaine ordered.

The Pokémon pulled back its fist and ran towards Charizard, who merely flew up into the air to avoid it. This caused the Magmar to stop the attack as it was unable to reach its opponent.

"Magmar fire blast," Blaine said fully as if he knew he was me going to win.

However, Ash had a plan to escape this, "Charizard used smokescreen and dodge."

From the fire and flying types mouth black smoke emerged, blocking Magmar's view. The other fire Pokemon still continued with the fire blast, spending the attack straight into the cloud of black smoke, which ignited.

"Charizard!" Ash shouted as the air above them burned with immense heat. Just as Blaine thought the battle was over, the fire and flying type emerged from the cloud of fire, roaring in anger.

"Great," Ash exclaimed. "Use flamethrower."

"Magmar, counter with flamethrower as well," Blaine ordered.

The two flamethrower hit, neither one giving to the other.

"It's a tie," Brock shouted out in shock.

"That Charizard can't compete with us Magmar, fire blast now," Blaine then said, seeing that no one would win this way.

As Magmar's flames formed the Japanese symbol for fire and shot towards Charizard, the winged fire type trapped it. Pushing it back with so much might that the floor beneath it cracked. He then threw the fire blast over his head where it was extinguished with the wind.

Blaine began to grow more anxious as attack after attack was counteracts, never had he been more determined to win. So if he could not win fire against fire he would not use fire moves. "Magmar attack with skull bash, now."

The red and yellow Pokémon ram towards Charizard, head down. The fire and flying type had no time to dodge as Magmar smacked straight into his stomach, sending it directly into the volcano wall, which rumbled its protest.

Charizard quickly shook it off and took to the sky.

"Dragon rage," the black haired boy shouted.

The orange Pokemon's eyes immediately began to glow white and the flame on its tail burned brighter than ever. A fire ball then began to build in its mouth, which was them fired at the Magmar.

"Fire blast."

Once again the two fire types clashed, but unlike last time with the flamethrower, Dragon rage crashed through the fire blast causing the attack to split. Magmar was hit resulting in it falling into the volcano.

Ash and Blaine waited and waited. Ash hoping that Magmar does not resurface and Blaine hoping it did. Suddenly, a fiery ball did emerge. It was Magmar. However, when it landed it soon collapsed, face forward on the battlefield.

After the battle Blaine (who had put his wig back on), Ash, Brock, Louise and Pikachu stood outside of the Big Riddle Inn. The man smiled down at the boy as he silently congratulated him on winning that battle.

"I have one last riddle for you Ash," Blaine informed him. "What is it that's always red and has no words?"

Ash opened his mouth in confusion, but before he could say anything the blonde man pulled out a red fire badge. "The answer is a volcano badge," the man said. "You have earned this one."

The black haired boy reached out and took the badge, thanking Blaine as he did so. He was thrilled that he had also managed to beat the man who had thoroughly defeated him last year. At least he knew they were getting stronger.

"One more thing, Ash," the blonde haired man said. "Take this, I found some laying around the volcano."

As the boy looked back at the gym leaders hand, his mouth dropped in surprise. In his palm was a fire stone, the last thing that he required to evolve his Eevee.

"But- But," Ash stuttered. "These are really expensive. I can't..."

"You can. I have plenty."

As gazed at the man for a moment with wide black eyes, "Thank you."


	41. Chapter 41: Round One

**I know... It has been a while since I last updated and I am sorry for that. In fact, I feel so guilty that I am going to give you guys a proper explanation. About a month ago I found out my mum has cancer, however, there is no need to worry because after several tests the doctors have discovered that it is not growing and they have predicted that it can be removed by the end of the year. So I am thanking all of you for your patience!**

 **On a brighter note, I present you with the next chapter, although I will say that it is going to be quite similar to the anime. Sorry about that but I thought that it would make it flow better. Now, before you start reading, I would like to ask your opinion on something. _SHOULD I HAVE DRATINI EVOLVE IN ONE OF THE POKEMON LEAGUE BATTLES?_**

 ** _P.S. Someone asked if I was going to continue through all of the regions. At the moment that is the plan and I am already looking forward to writing a second story based off of the season 2 anime. However, before I start that I have a few other updates that require my attention._**

Chapter 41

After his final battle Ash, Brock and Louise returned to Pallet Town to spend Winter, and Christmas with Delia and Sam. However, not before stopping by Professor Oak's lab to evolve his final Eevee into a Flareon and reminding the old man to inform the black haired boy of when and where the League would take place. To say that the Professor was surprised to see him so early was an understatement as Gary, who had failed to win the League last year, was still trying to earn his last badge.

Flareon was a mammalian, quadruped Pokemon covered in short, reddish-orange fur. It has long ears, dark eyes and a small black nose. He had long ears, dark eyes and a small yellow pad on each foot. When Ash scanned the fire type with his red Pokedex, the robotic voice told him that Flareon now knew the moves sand attack, quick attack, fire fang, ember and fire spin. That will definitely be useful in the Pokemon League.

Christmas has been and gone, trees now sprouting fresh green leaves and what little snow they had melted quickly. Spring followed the cold season bringing with it bright yellow daffodils as the weather began to warm. With Spring also can Ash's training. He woke up and 5 am every morning in order to arrive at the lab for 6 am. Instead of aiming to evolve his Pokemon or teach them new moves the black haired boy decided that he wants the majority of his Pokemon to perfect the moves that they already know.

* * *

Finally, Summer was here, bringing with it the Pokemon League. Ash, Brock, Louise, Pikachu and Togepi (who had wanted to come along despite Espeons protests) had walked through the Pokemon League Village and made their way to the large octagon stadium that seated 80,000 Pokemon fans. Its entire body consisted of silver shining metal and pure white stone, with a red and white Pokeball hanging in the middle.

Upon entry, Ash and Pikachu were separate from their friends and brought to the heart of the stadium. Other trainers including Gary and, to his surprise, Damien stood in silence until suddenly a red ball hanging over them popped open, releasing confetti and a flock of Pidgey who quickly tried to escape the place.

Ash's eyes lingered on Damien, glaring at the teen with such intensity that he began to fidget without knowing why. However, Ash's attention quickly turned away from the Pokemon neglecter and towards the fireworks that had just been set off. In the background, the deep masculine voice of the announcer said, "And the opening ceremonies of the Pokemon League is officially underway. This is where Pokemon trainers come to prove their skills. Their strength. Their spirit.

The announcer then went on to say, "These hopeful competitors will battle one another as they strive for excellence and victory. A victory that they will need to enter the ranks of Pokemon Master.

As Ash stood nervously in the group of trainers, with Pikachu on his shoulder, they watched as the runner holding the flame of Moltres sped over to the larger touch in front of them, signifying the start of the League. By the look on the black haired man's face, Ash could tell that it was a huge honour to do such a thing, as the runner shared fixated on his target.

When the runner made it up the first flight of stairs he stopped in front of two people who were blocking the rest of the path from him. Ash could not see what was happening for sure, but he knew the moment that he caught a flash of pink and blue hair that it was Team Rocket/ They had been too quiet as of late and this was probably why. The group of criminals had tried and failed to capture Pokemon many times and Ash was sure that this time they wanted something more than Pokemon. This time they wanted the flame of the one of a kind, legendary Moltres.

Just as the runner was about to hand over the touch to, what he thought was, the official Pokemon League members, Ash shot up the stairs faster than he thought was possible.

"Wait!" the black haired boy shouted to them taking two steps at a time in order to try and reach the runner faster. As he did so he called out his Weepinbell, who appeared at the bottom of the staircase. "Use vine whip to take the touch," he ordered.

It was almost as if the world had slowed down as Ash shouted, "Wait, don't let them get that flame!"

This caused the runner to hesitate and turn his attention away from the two in front of him and towards Ash, giving the criminals the perfect opportunity. Jessie raised her hand and snatched the touch with brilliant yellow and orange flames from the black haired man, she called back, "Ha, too late twerp!"

Of course, that small amount of gloating gave Weepinbell enough time to snatch the torch from Jessie's hand and pulled it towards her body.

"Looks like I am just on time," Ash grinned. "Team Rocket."

This caused the pair to glare at the boy before James said, "Must you ruin everything?" as he and Jessie ripped off the strange white robes they had been wearing. In doing so they also reveal Meowth, who, Ash suspected, was hiding under one clothes of one of his teammates.

"Not everything, but I do try," came his quick-witted reply.

"Now, we will be taking the flame of Moltres back," James said as he called out his Weezing.

The poison type Pokemon released its smog attack as ordered by its trainer, blanketing Ash, Pikachu, the runner and Weepinbell in the thick black cloud.

The grass and poison type Pokemon immediately felt someone tugging on the vine that held the touch and responded with sending a razor leaf attack in the general direction.

"Yeow!" Meowth shouted in the dark cloud as it felt blood dripping from his wrist that was nipped by one of the sharp green leaves, "that was a lucky shot."

True, that was a lucky shot, however, Weepinbell no longer needed luck as the smog faded giving Ash, Pikachu and the grass and poison type their vision back.

"Weepinbell, use razor leaf. Pikachu thundershock!" Ash shouted.

The razor leaf sliced at Meowth sending the cat-like Pokemon flying towards Jessie and James. As he did, Pikachu sent a thundershock their way, hitting the three criminals. They each flinched and twitched as the yellow energy engulfed them and electricity courses through their veins. Then as the ground beneath their feet exploded Team Rocket was sent flying into the air.

"We didn't even get to bring out our robot," cried James.

"Yeah, we worked so hard to get it too," moaned Meowth.

"Shut up you two," Jessie sneered angrily as Team Rocket blasted off again.

* * *

As Ash went back in line with the other Pokemon trainer, wondering why they did not help, the announced was pleased to say that the opening ceremony would continue as the runner made it to the large centre torch. The yellow and orange flame blazed to life in its bed and President Goodshow began to walk up to the podium in order to make his speech.

The black haired boy listened intently as the old man with a long white beard and just as long white hair opened his mouth to speak. The man wore a blue sun hat backwards kind of like how Ash wore his, a red jacket and blue shorts that came down to his nobbly knees.

With the end of the speech came the beginning of the Pokemon Indigo League.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Pallet Town, Ash and Louise's parents watch the live coverage of the Pokemon League at Professor Oaks with the rest of the small town. Surprisingly, most of them were there to cheer Ash on, not Gary. There was the old lady who he tended the garden for last summer. There was Mr and Mrs Cervova, who the boy had happily cleaned their gutters for. Then there was Ms Faraway, who he helped by babysitting her three children as she was a single mum whose nanny was sick.

* * *

After the opening ceremony, Ash was informed that he needed to return to the Pokemon Village in order to find out who he would be battling first. So, he leads Pikachu, Louise, Brock and Togepi into a large dome building with dozens of arches, making it look like a single level roman colosseum with a brilliant red roof.

As the group entered, they noticed several circular desks with a receptionist standing within them. So, unsure of what to do now, the black haired trainer, with a Pikachu perched on his shoulder, went over to an auburn haired receptionist. She wore a red headband and a similar teal green uniform as the other receptionists.

"Welcome to Pokemon Village," she greeted. "I need your identification so I can check you in."

At the sight of the woman, Brocks' heart began to flutter and the dark skinned teen immediately shot towards her. "Ash can check in while I check out your beautiful smile."

This made Louise, Ash and Pikachu cringe and before the teen could do any more damage to his dignity they all grabbed onto him pulling him away from the girl. The receptionist smiled her thanks, before turning back to Ash.

"Here you go," he said as he gave the woman his Pokedex.

The woman immediately flipped it open in order to look at the boy's picture. "Is this your first time at the Pokemon League," she said trying to make conversation.

"Yes," Ash smiled at her.

Then she slid his Pokedex into a machine beside her and types something into the keyboard. There was a high pitched 'beep' and she removed the identification from the device, handing it back to the boy with a smile.

"Well," she beamed. "That is it, you are all checked in."

"Thanks," Ash exulted before taking his Pokedex back. "So who am I going to be battling? and on which field?"

"All you have to do is press this bottom," the woman informed him, pointing at the red button that was sitting on the desk in front of him. "On the screen are the four field types, wherever the light stops is where your first match is."

"Okay," Ash said as he stared up at the screen with the moving light. As the light passed the grass field, he pressed the button causing the light to slow down as it circled once more before landing on the water field.

"The water field it is," the auburn haired receptionist affirmed and types something else into the computer that was on her other side. "Now they system will randomly select your opponent."

As a picture of Ash now covered half of the screen, he waited as the second half flashed through dozens of images of competitors before landing on a feminine looking guy with long teal coloured hair. He wore a pink crop jacket, a pale yellow scarf and a white shirt with a low neckline.

"His name is Mandy and you will be the third match," smiled the woman. "Be there by one o'clock."

"Thanks," Ash said again before quickly leaving the building.

As the group walking down the street, Louise asked Ash what sort of Pokemon he was going to use.

"Well," Ash stated. "I have Poliwhirl, Gyarados, Squirtle, Seadra and Shellder who are water types, but if this Mandy person is going to use water types as well then their attacks may not be very effective, which means that battle could end up being dragged out longer. So, I was thinking of throwing in some flying type Pokemon as well."

"That is a good idea," Brock nodded thoughtfully.

As the group continued to walk, they soon spotted Gary, who also noticed them. "Hey Ash, I hear you are on the water field first. I am on the ice field. I really hope you win your first battle Ashy-boy, I would feel terrible if you lost."

Ash just grinned at his childhood enemy, "And I would feel terrible if you could not make it into the semi-finals like last time."

This caused Gary to glare at the boy as he walked away, unaffected by the taunt.

* * *

It was almost one o'clock when Ash made his way over to the water field. Inside, thousand of people cheered for the winner of the last match, a boy and his Sea King. The pair looked so happy with their victory that Ash could not help but smile with them. That would be him after the next match was finished, he thought confidently.

"We are up next Pikachu," he then said stroking the Pokeballs on his belt, hoping, praying that he had made the right choice. Brock and Louise stood behind the pair with knowing smiles on their faces, they did not mind that Ash was ignoring them at the moment.

"Pi," the yellow mouse Pokemon murmured as he gently bobbed his head.

The large metal doors then slid open making a noise of the crowd even louder, as the lights from the stadium practically blinded the pair.

Ash straightened his back and forced his face to go black as he said to his partner, "Ready Pikachu?"

"Pika," the Pokemon nodded as the two walked out into the light.

"And now the start of the third battle on the water field," the announcer boomed dragging out the word 'field' as Ash and Mandy's pictures appeared on the large board. Mandy was designated the 'Red trainer' whilst Ash was designated the 'Green trainer'.

The water field itself was a large pool which had five circular floating patched of ice, making Ash thankful that he did choose some flying types to integrate with his water type team as the ice would have been hard to manoeuvre on for any other Pokemon type.

"Ketchum is accompanied by his coaches as he takes on Mandy, a League favourite with his exciting battle techniques," the announcer said causing Ash to frown. Just his luck to be pitted against a 'League favourite', he thought to himself.

"Each trainer is only allowed three Pokemon... So let this battle begin!"

As the bell rang Mandy immediately called out his Exeggutor which was a grass and psychic type Pokemon. It was a tall Pokemon that resembles a coconut palm tree with its legs appearing like tree trucks and its three heads as the coconuts.

Ash grinned, this is where one of his flying types would come in handy.

"Butterfree, I choose you," Ash shouted.

"Exeggutor, psywave now," Mandy ordered pointing at the pathetic looking Butterfree.

"Dodge and then use gust," Ash commanded thinking that he would be able to win the battle by knocking the grass and psychic type into the water. However, as the gust came towards Mandy's Pokemon its eyes flashed and the attack went around it.

"Shoot," Ash gritted his teeth. A psychic move.

"Exeggutor, egg bomb attack," Mandy said excitement coursing through him as he pictures an easy win. Suddenly from the Pokemon's head, dozens of glowing white eggs were released into the air and were falling towards Butterfree.

"Confusion," Ash shouted.

Immediately, Butterfree eyes began to glow as a similar glow engulfed all the egg, sending them falling straight towards the Exeggutor instead.

"Exeggutor, psywave," Mandy then said.

As the psywave hit the eggs they exploded in the air, causing the water to ripple and the large Pokemon to stagger around.

"Poison powder, then use gust to blow it over to Exeggutor," Ash ordered.

Butterfree quickly did as commanded, engulfing the large Pokemon in a purple cloud. This caused the Exeggutor to choke and fall onto the ice, unconscious.

"Exeggutor!" Mandy exclaimed.

"Victory for the green," the umpire said holding up a green flag for all to see. The crowd went wild.

"Good job, Butterfree!"

"Pikachu!" the yellow mouse Pokemon exclaimed.

As Butterfree still appeared to be full of energy, Ash decided to keep it in for a second battle. Now all he needed was to find out which Pokemon Mandy would use.

"Ha," Mandy muttered to himself. "That was just some beginners luck." He then enlarged his next Pokeball saying, "But his luck has just run out. Go Seadra!"

Seadra, of course, was a sea-horse like Pokemon. It has a long snout and two fin-like ridges curving over either side of its head. Its belly was covered with rough, cream coloured scales.

"Seadra, use agility," Mandy ordered.

The blue and cream water Pokemon zig-zagged towards the Butterfree its forehead creased in a steely glare. It then jumped out of the water and smacked it body into Butterfree's.

"Gust," Ash shouted.

Butterfree immediately snapped out of his pain induced phase and sent a gust towards the water type before its body even broke the surface. This sent Seadra spirally into the water wth considerable speed and height.

Just as Seadra resurfaced Ash ordered his bug type Pokemon to use sleep powder. The cloud of sparkling dust quickly engulfed the water type, forcing it into a deep slumber that could not be disrupted by the screaming crowd around them. Round two went to Ash.

It was clear Mandy was growing frustrated as he was one Pokemon away from defeat. The teal hair boy repeatedly clenched and unclenched his hands as he breathed deeply. 'Think Mandy. Think' was constantly circling the teen's mind.

"Fine," the teal coloured hair teen said. "Let's see what happens when I take this battle to your level." He then threw out his Pokemon and from it emerged a Golbat.

This Pokemon was a large, blue bat-like Pokemon with purple wing membranes. It has small eyes with slit pupils and a massive mouth containing four fangs. Ash could tell that this Golbat was male as it had larger fangs than the boy's female did. Golbat was a flying and poison type and was resistant ti bug types. This battle was going to be difficult.

"Butterfree, use gust," Ash ordered his Pokemon.

As the butterfly Pokemon flapped his wings furiously, Mandy shouted, "Golbat razor wind now!"

The razor wind collided with the gust and sliced through the attack like a hit knife through butter. "Dodge," Ash shouted fearfully.

If it was not for all their training the black haired trainer doubted that his Butterfree would have been able to react so fast. One second it was about to get hit by the razor wind, the next it was behind the Golbat.

"Confusion," Ash then commanded just as the Golbat stopped its attack and turned around to face its opponent. Immediately, the bat Pokemon's eyes began to glow and its body lost control.

"Golbat!" Mandy shouted as the flying and poison type flew high up into the air before heartling down. Its small body crashed into the water.

The audience waited in silence to find out if the Golbat could continue to battle. However, as the purple body floated to the surface it was clear that Ash has won. This Pokemon probably could not endure the damage dealt by the impact.

"I can't believe it," Mandy exclaimed.

"Golbat is unable to battle, Victory goes to the team of Ash and Butterfree," the umpire said as the crowd suddenly became alive with screaming, cheering and hooting.

"It is all over, can you believe it," the announcer shouted over the crowd. "Pokemon league rookie, Ash Ketchum, won his first match without even one change in Pokemon."

This caused a large grin to spread over his face as he called for his Butterfree to return. "You were amazing out there. Good job," he muttered to the Pokeball.


	42. Chapter 42: Round 2 and 3

**Chapter 42**

The next day Ash's second match had begun at 10 am, so he and his Pokemon were up with the sun putting in about an hour of last minute training before getting a healthy breakfast. Their battle was on the Rock field and his opponent was a trainer named Zack, who had light brown hair and black eyes. The boy wore a white sweat band on his forehead, with a white long sleeved shirt and blue button up vest.

"Now, the second battle on the Rock field is about to begin," the announcer said. "With Ash Ketchum on the green side and Zack Shelton on the red side. Will Ash whip him out with only one Pokemon or will Zack cut the streak in the bud?"

Zack quickly threw out one of his Pokeballs before the black haired boy could process that the bell has rung. It was a Sandshrew that emerged from the Pokeball ready to battle. This Pokemon was a bipedal mammalian type despite the fact that it runs on all fours. It had dry, rough yellow hide that blends in perfectly with its natural habitat: the desert.

"Rhyhorn, I choose you," Ash shouted throwing the red and white Pokeball.

The black haired boy's large Pokemon easily outsized the much smaller Sandshrew. However, he knew that he should not underestimate his opponents. After all, that is what Mandy, Ash's last opponent did, and it resulted in his own devastating loss. Furthermore, Zack also had to collect at least six badges from different league approved gym. In other words, everyone in this competition has had to earn their place. Some entering more than once.

"Sandshrew, poison sting," Zack shouted towards his Pokemon.

As the mouse Pokemon flexed its back, Ash called, "Fury attack."

Then as purple needles shot out of the Pokemon's back like tiny arrows, Rhyhorns horn glowed as the larger Pokemon ran towards the smaller one. Her horn glowing white as she built up her energy there. As the needles hit the horn, they were destroyed in a puff of purple dust. However, the Rhyhorns attack continued.

"Dodge it, Sandshrew," the boy shouted in fear.

It was only due to the ground types small body that it was able to get out of the way unharmed.

"Great, now use roll out," Zack continued.

Ash smiled widely at this knowing the perfect counter attack, "Stomp!"

The Rhinoceros-like creature then picked up her front left foot and slammed it into the ground. She did the same with her other short legs appearing as if she was marching on the spot. However, with every step taken, the ground began to shake. This caused the floor beneath Sandshrew's curled, ball-like form to crack, resulting in the ground type Pokemon becoming trapped.

"Sandshrew!" Try and get free," Zack ordered chewing on his lower lip.

"Great, awesome," Ash cheered. "Now finished it with Horn Attack."

As the grey, ground and rock type charged towards the mouse Pokemon, who struggled more ferociously than before. It knew that if it was hit in such a vulnerable position it would be all over.

"Unbelievable," the announcer exclaimed. "Looks like Ash and his Rhyhorn have managed to use the field to trap Zack's Pokemon. What will happen new?"

Unfortunately, there was nothing Sandshrew could do so as the attack came closer it gave in to the inevitable. BANG! The attack was a direct hit.

"Sandshrew has been defeated. Victory goes to Rhyhorn," the referee announced.

"Astonishing! Ash Ketchum managed to stop Sandshrew in its tracks. Now, which Pokemon will Zack choose."

The brown haired, black eyes trainer slowly took out a Pokeball after recalling his Sandshrew. "Go, Kangaskhan!"

As the large, bipedal Pokemon with golden brown hide emerged from the red and white ball, Zack wasted no time. "Use bite."

The normal type Pokemon charged towards Ash's Rhyhorn, mouth open as its fangs began to glow slightly in the sunlight. Kangaskhan then grabbed onto the ground and rock Pokemon's body, pinning it where it was.

"Get out of there, Rhyhorn," Ash yelled.

The Kangaskhan then reared back its head and then bit down onto Rhyhorn's exposed neck.

"Rhyhorn!" Ash screamed.

Suddenly, the Rhinoceros-like Pokemon began to glow a blinding white light. She then moved to stand on her rear legs. Then as the glow disappeared to reveal the evolved form. Rhydon.

"Amazing!" the announcer shouted. "Ash Ketchum's Ryhorn has evolved due to the intensity of the battle." The crowd cheered and screamed at this new development, astonished that they were able to witness an evolution right in front of them.

Rhydon was a large, grey, bipedal Pokemon with features of both dinosaurs and Rhinoceroses. It has a cream-coloured, drill-like horn on its snout, although it was smaller due to the fact that Ash's Rhydon was female. There were other protrusions on the head as well as including a spike curving forward from the middle of its head, two triangular points resembling ears to the sides, a wide wavy crest under the ears, and spiky ridges on its cheeks. It had red eyes and two fangs protruding from its upper jaw and a long tail with skinny black strips.

Quickly, Ash scanned his newly evolved Pokemon with his Pokedex, **"Rhydon, the drill Pokemon. Protected by an armor-like hide, it is capable of living in molten lava of 3,600 degrees. This Rhyhorn is female and knows the moves Fury attack, horn attack, scary face, stomp, shock wave and hammer arm."**

"Alright, Rhydon!" Ash shouted over the crowd. "Now, use scary face followed by hammer arm."

As the scary face move caused Kangaskhan's body to freeze in fear, it allowed Rhydon to close the distance between them, arm raised towering above the normal type. The with sharp precision Rhydon brought her arm down towards her opponents head, who ignored Zack's order to move out of the way.

SMASH!

The attack caused the Knagaskhan to crash into the ground resulting more cracks to form on the floor beneath their feet. However, the battle was not over yet. The Kangaskhan climbed to its feet, stumbling as it did.

"Double Hit, Kangaskhan!" Zack ordered.

"Dodge it," Ash shouted.

As the Kangaskhan punched out its first fist, Rhydon leant back allowing for the fist to brush past her head. The second punch came quickly after forcing the rock and ground Pokemon to drop to the floor to avoid it.

"Use your tail," Ash then ordered and the Pokemon immediately understood what her trainer was trying to say. She quickly spun her body around, swiping her tail behind the Kangaskhan legs, which gave out causing the Pokemon to collapse once more.

"Get up!" Zack ordered more harshly than he meant to, but as the parent Pokemon pushed its body up, its limbs simply trembled and gave out again.

"Kangaskhan is unable to battle. Victory goes to Rhydon," the referee stated.

"Go, Nidorino!" Zack shouted throwing his last Pokeball. Nidorino was a light purple, quadruped Pokemon with several darker spots on its body. It had large, spiny ears with teal insides, narrow black eyes, and long pointed teeth protruding from the upper jaws.

"Nidorino, tackle," Zack ordered.

"Dodge it," Ash commanded but the Nidorino was too fast, shooting across the field like a bullet. The purple poison pin Pokemon quickly smashed into Rhydon's large grey frame, causing her to cry out in pain.

"Rhydon, use stomp," Ash shouted as Nidorino jumped back upon completion of its attack.

As the large rock and ground Pokemon did as it was told, the black haired trainer's well-structured plan was put into motion. Fractures covered the entire ground field and as Rhydon continually pounded at the floor fractures became bigger and bigger. Until... SMASH!

The large rocks that decorated the arena crumbled and the flat ground beneath them moved so that they struck up at awkward angles.

"Well look at this!" the announcer exclaimed. "Talk about using the field to your advantage. Now Nidorino is going to find it much more difficult to use that amazing speed of his, but it looks like Rhydon is also stuck."

"Rhydon, shock wave!" Ash smiled.

This time the grey ground and rock type jumped into the air and crashed down in its place, causing the ground to fly up into the air as the force rippled through it.

"Nidorino!" Zack shouted in shock. He had no idea what to do as the ground began to hit and berry his Pokemon.

"Nidorino is out of the competition. The match goes to the Green trainer, Ash Ketchum!" the referee yelled and the crowd began to cheer with more vigour.

"Unbelievable!" Ash Ketchum has once again wiped out his opponent using only one Pokemon."

"Yes," Louise screamed from her seat behind the boy. It was the end of the second round and Ash was working at an advantage. Brock had told her that the League gather information on trainers every time they battle, which other trainers can access. However, the League only has data on Ash's Butterfree and Rhydon.

"Now the very happy Ash Ketchum will now move onto the third round of the Pokemon League," the announcer finalised.

Meanwhile, in the crowd, Gary Oak could be seen frowning darkly with his four cheerleaders behind him. "Look at him," the Professors Grandson sneered. "He wins two easy matches and he thinks he can win the whole competition." Then with one last look, Gary marches away.

After the match, Ash immediately took his Pokemon to the centre to get checked out. Then he and the group went back to the Pokemon League Village in order to grab something to eat. They had to get their strength back to fight in their next battle on the ice field. Although, for the next match Ash would probably choose his Glaceon, Magnemite, Spearow, Primeape and Poliwhirl.

As the group walked through the busy street manoeuvring around large crowds of trainers and fans. Ash had been talking to his friends when something hard struck his shoulder, jarring Pikachu from his position. Turning to find the source of the strike, he found himself face to face with Damian.

"Watch where you are going," the blue haired boy sneered at Ash.

This caused the boy to frown saying, "Damien, it is nice to see you have not changed a bit."

"And what is that supposed to mean, Kid? How do you even know me?" the cruel teen raged silently, clutching his fisted hands to his sides, as if in the preparation of punching Ash.

"Well, you are definitely in the habit of abandoning you Pokemon," Ash smiled sarcastically. "But I am surprised you do not remember me. After all, I own the Charmander you abandoned."

Brock and Louise, who stood off to the side wondering how Ash knew the boy, now gasped in realisation. There in front of them was the trainer that left Charizard to die when he was a Charmander, abandoned Scyther for being too weak and left Shellder when it could not fulfil his demands.

Damien suddenly had a cruel smile on his face as he said, "Oh now I remember. Tell me, how many battles has that weak and pathetic Pokemon lost you?"

Ash just stared at the other trainer with blank eyes before responding, "I guess you will just have to find out." With that, he walked away taking his friend with him. One day he would let his Pokemon get their revenge.

* * *

The next day Ash and the group made their way to the ice field which resembled the ground field with large blocks of ice covering the smooth slippery surface. This time Ash was labelled as the red trainer, whilst a black haired, bushy-browed boy was labelled as the Green trainer.

"Welcome back to the next battle here on the ice field," the announcer said to the audience, who cheered loudly at the voice. "In the red trainer box, we have Ash Ketchum, who is slowly becoming a new League favourite, after having won his last two battles with a single Pokemon. Our Green trainer, Sean Walsh, may not be able to say the same but has won his last battle through shear strength. I wonder who will come out on top."

When the referee announced the start of the battle the two immediately called out their Pokemon.

"Go Kingler," Sean shouted throwing the red and white Pokeball.

"Glaceon, I choose you," Ash said at the same time.

As the two Pokemon emerged from their balls Ash could not help but notice the height difference between them. Kingler was a crustacean Pokemon that resembled a crab. Its strong shell covers the outside of its body, featuring a red upper half and a light tan lower half. Its upper half also has six tall, thin spikes that resemble a crown.

"Kingler, grab hammer attack (anime move)," Sean ordered pointing at the Glaceon.

As the Kingler approached the ice type Pokemon, claw raised ready to attack, Ash shouted, "Dodge and then use ice fang on one of its legs!"

Despite the fact that the Pincer Pokemon was much bigger than Glaceon, Ash's Pokemon had the advantage in speed. So, just as the claw was about to slam into his white and blue body, he was gone. Glaceon had slipped out of Kingler's field of vision and was suddenly behind the Pokemon, his fangs glowing a white light.

"Kingler, behind you!" the Green trainer shouted but it was too late. Glaceon quickly sunk its fangs into the crab-like Pokemon back leg. However, the move was not as effective as Ash would have liked.

Whilst Glaceon was still latched onto Kingler's leg, Ash's opponent said, Kingler use grab hammer attack again."

This time the attack quickly and effectively slammed into the ice type forcing him to let go. For a while, he stumbled around, dizzy, until Glaceon collapsed unconscious.

"Glaceon is unable to battle. Victory goes to Kingler," the referee shouted.

Immediately after the announcer's voice rippled through the stadium, "This is truly something people, for the first time since the Pokemon League began Ash Ketchum is being forced to use a second Pokemon. Is this the end of his wipe out streak?"

As Ash recalled his Pokemon, he gritted his teeth. Kingler is strong but no way will he be defeated.

"Magnemite, I choose you," Ash shouted.

* * *

 **Sorry for the wait guys, this month was exams and I am afraid that I spent most of my time revising than socialising, let alone writing. I would like to thank everyone for waiting patiently. As you can tell I decided against evolving Dratini just yet (do not worry that will happen eventually), and that is thanks to the advice of gnarred.**

 **I know this chapter is shorter than usual however the next chapter will be coming soon - I have already started writing it :)**


	43. Chapter 43: Round 4

**Chapter 43**

As soon as the genderless Pokemon was out of its Pokeball, Sean ordered Kingler to use mud shot. At least the trainer thought about what move to use if faced with a type disadvantage and Ash was sure that he had other attacks tucked away. Fortunately, Ash also has a plan for this battle.

"Dodge it and use Thundershock," the black haired trainer ordered, however, it was too late to dodge the first lump of mud that came flying through the air. It struck the Magnemite right in the eye, blinding the steel and electric type. Nevertheless, Ash's Pokemon released its attack.

The bolts of thunder randomly struck the ground aimlessly, missing the water type completely. This caused Ash to frown, how was he going to clear Magnemite's vision and avoid Kingler's attacks? It was impossible, there was no attack in his Pokemon's repertoire and it was unlikely that Sean would order Kingler's to use water gun as if was not effective against steel and electric types.

"Kingler vice grip," the green trainer ordered.

Once again Magnemite was unable to dodge and ended up in the crab Pokemon's oversized claws. It was then that Ash had an idea.

"Magnet Bomb," Ash shouted.

Instantly, green waves began to emit from the genderless Pokemon forming a barrier around it. Then its body began to glow an even paler green until Magnemite exploded. The Kingler clicked in pain, quickly releasing the steel and electric type. In the explosion the mud covering its eyes was blasted off, clearing its vision.

"Great, now use thundershock again," the boy ordered.

This time it was Kingler who was too slow to react to its trainer's commands. The Thunder shocked it directly causing the water type to stagger and fall backwards. Unconscious.

"Kingler is unable to battle. Victory goes to Magnemite," the referee announced, causing the crowd to cheer once more.

With two Pokemon each, Ash and Sean were evenly matched. However, if the trainer was prepared his Pokemon would be even more powerful than Kingler.

"Cloyster, I choose you," the green trainer said releasing his Pokemon.

This Pokemon was black and pearl-like, encased inside a light grey shell. The shell is surrounded by a second jagged, blue-violet outer shell casing. It had one barb-like spike protruding from above its head and multiple conical horns on its outer shell. Cloyster was a water and ice type Pokemon that lives on the sea floor, nestled among the rocks.

"Sonic Boom attack," Ash yelled towards his Pokemon.

"Cloyster, withdraw," Sean called out.

As the invisible sonic waves shot towards the Cloyster, who was safely tucked behind his shell. Since the bivalve Pokemon had an impenetrable armour all that happened was that its body quivered slightly as if struck by a sudden chill. However, even that was more of a reaction than most attacks received.

"Again," he said. "Just keep at it."

Cloyster was hit again and again with the sonic boom attack and eventually its tremors become exaggerated shaking. Then it was as if the Pokemon was too exhausted to hold its shell shut anymore and its armour slowly drifted open.

"No! Cloyster, what are you doing?" Sean suddenly panicked, clearly showing his plan. It was obvious Ash's opponent wanted his Magnemite to exhaust itself. Then they would attack when the Pokemon was at its weakest. However, they did not expect the sonic boom to drain Cloyster of its energy.

"Quick, use thundershock," Ash said hurriedly.

Magnemite got the message from its trainer loud and clear and before Ash even finished the word "thundershock" it began to generate the voltage. Seconds later, as the gap in Cloyster's shell grew bigger, a bright yellow bolt of thunder hit the dark black pearl of the Pokemon. The water and ice type dropped to the ground, disabled. This battle seemed easier than his battle with Kingler, maybe Sean brought out his best Pokemon first.

"Cloyster is out of the match, Magnemite is the victor," the referee said.

As Sean recalled his Pokemon, Ash took his chance to let his eye wander to the crowd. It was in the crowd that he saw his friends Brock and Louise holding Pikachu and Togepi. However, he also saw Gary and Damian watching him calculatingly as if secretly sizing him up. Maybe they are starting to see Ash as more of a challenge. A competitor, rather than a looser.

The sound of Sean calling out his Arcanine quickly drew Ash's attention back to the match. Hopefully, this would be his final battle today.

"This is a big surprise," the announcer shouted. "The green trainer has chosen Arcanine, a fire Pokemon."

Secretly, Ash smiled, as soon as the fire type releases any sort of flame attack, the ice would melt. Sean obviously did not think that through.

"Magnemite, thundershock," Ash grinned.

As the Thunder shot towards the Legendary Pokemon it quickly dodged, jumping from ice rock to ice rock. The Pokemon did this gracefully, with ease, appearing as if it was merely going through the steps of a well-leaned dance. Smoothly and soundlessly.

"Arcanine, good job," the fire types trainer cheered. "Now use your Dragon Rage Attack."

As the Arcanine landed firmly on its paws a few feet from Magnemite, it lifted its chin to the sky and howled. Suddenly, the wind started to swirl around the fire type creating a tornado. More and more air was pulled into the attack making the tunnel of wind grew bigger and bigger, catch Magnemite in its strong grasp.

The steel and electric type spun around and around in the tornado, moving slowly up its funnel. Eventually, Magnemite shot out of the top of the attack and was flung towards Ash. Luckily, its body creates electromagnetic waves that allow it to defy gravity, thus reducing the blow the impact may have caused if it did not have that ability.

"Magnemite, are you okay?" Ash asked leaning over the rail to get a better look at his Pokemon.

"Mag-ne," the electric and steel type reassured as it hovered above the ground.

"Okay, let's use thunder wave," he then called.

The Pokemon then turned to face its opponent as the other trainer ordered it to use a flame thrower. the two attacks clashed together, the thunder wave repeatedly beating back the continuous stream of fire. However, whilst Sean was more concentrated on his Pokemon, Ash watched as the ice surrounding Arcanine melted away until only one small iceberg remained with the fire type standing on it.

"Looks like you forgot that fire melts ice," Ash commented to the other trainer. "And that water conducts electricity. Magnemite, thundershock on the water."

Arcanine cried out in pain before falling into the water. The splash sounding loud in the silence of anticipation that washed over the audience.

"Arcanine," Sean shouted watching his last hope float in the water unconscious on it back.

"Arcanine has been eliminated," the referee shouted raising the red flag in his right hand. "Ash Ketchum and Magnemite wins."

The crowd suddenly came back to life, shouting and screaming. The match was an exciting one and sent a thrill down the audiences back as well as Ash's. "We did it!" the boy shouted in glee, trembling as the adrenaline began to wear off.

* * *

The next day after Ash's battle, Gary won his fourth round and was now in the Finals: The top 32. Of course, Professor Oak's Grandson was smug about exceeding his original placement. Ash's fourth match was not until late afternoon on the grass field and he had already chosen the perfect team: Pidgeotto, Golbat, Parasect, Nidorina and Ponyta. Grass types were weak against fire, ice, poison, flying, bug and steel types, so this gave Ash a large pool of Pokemon to choose from.

Before Ash Knew it, he was standing in the trainer box being introduced to yet another large crowd of fans. Louise and Brock took their seats in the huge mass of people, Togepi snuggling into the blonde haired girl's arms.

"Ash can't loose," Brock whispered to himself. He had confidence in his friend, who refused to give up and would come up with the most amazing battle plans.

Louise heard what the dark skinned teen muttered and nodded her head, "So, who is he battling?"

"According to the programme it is someone named Janette Fisher," Brock responded as he read the paper pamphlet.

"And now the red trainer is coming onto the field," the announcer shouted just as a brilliant red carpet was thrown out of the doorway, unravelling as it went. Then from the dark emerged a girl, about Ash's age, with a man who was throwing flower petals over her head. "Janette Fisher from Crimson City!"

"I am honoured," the girl nodded gracefully. She had thick dark purple hair and wore a heavy traditional Japanese kimono.

As she stepped into the trainer's box the battle had begun and each trainer throws out their Pokeballs.

"Golbat, I choose you," Ash shouted.

"My Pokemon will create quite a buzz," the girl smiled. "Beedrill, go!"

Beedrill mostly resembles a bipedal, yellow wasp: however, it only has four legs instead of six and lacks pigment pits. Beedrill's head is round with a slightly pointed mouth, large, red eyes and black antennae with a sharp bend in the middle. Its forelegs are tipped with long, conical stingers. It stands on its other two legs, which are long, segmented, and insectoid in shape. Beedrill has two pairs of rounded, veined wings, and another stinger on its yellow and black striped abdomen.

"Beedrill, tackle attack," Janette shouted.

The bee-like Pokemon shot towards Golbat who was flying about five feet off the ground. Golbat, who did not need any orders, surged up higher into the air, dodging the attack. The bat-like Pokemon then twisted to face its opponent and upon Ash's order, attacked with a supersonic.

The supersonic ripped through the Beedrill's body causing every cell in its body to vibrate. This caused the bug and poison type to drop to the ground.

"Beedrill, use the twin needle attack, now," Janette ordered.

As her Pokemon forced its body to its feet, its wings began to flutter with determination. It then lifted its body into the air and flew towards Golbat jabbing its left stinger and then its right stinger repeatedly. Although, it was as if the Beedrill was out of energy.

"Quick, drop and use air slash," Ash ordered.

Golbat's wing soon began to glow white and she brought herself so that she was positioned below Beedrill. Then Ash's Pokemon slashed its wings across its body, sending two wind blades towards the Pokemon's stomach.

"Dodge, then poison sting," Janette said.

Instantly, Beedrill swerved to the left and then turned its body to point its tail stinger at Golbat. It then jabbed continuously at the poison and flying type.

"Supersonic," Ash commanded.

Once again, ripples of high-pitched waves dug their way into the Beedrill's body, causing its movements to falter. Soon after it stopped its attack completely.

"Now, Air Slash," Ash said.

As the Beedrill stood on the grass field its wings twitched in pain and annoyance. So, in its weakened state, it was unable to dodge the Golbat's attack.

"Beedrill is out of the mouth," the referee announced.

From the crowd, Louise stood up from her chair and began to clap and silently cheer on her friend. Brock sat there with a red blush painting both his cheeks, obviously crushing over Ash's opponents.

As Janette recalls her Beedrill she shouts, "This one won't be so easy." She then pulled out a second red and white ball. "Go, Scyther!"

The insectoid creature stood on its hind legs in front of Golbat. "Scyther, use your slash attack, now," Janette said throwing out her arm, before clutching at the railing of her trainer's box.

The Scyther leapt off the ground and began to flyer inches from the grass. The flapping of its wings caused the green luscious grass to ripple around the bug and flying type. It then flew higher, slicing its long knife-like arms at Golbat who dodged and twirled, allowing the weapons to harmlessly brush past the Golbat.

"Now Scyther, quick attack," Janette ordered in determination like she had planned out this very battle. The green Pokemon then sped up its slashing movements until they could barely be seen.

This only caused Golbat to speed up. Ash had trained it to ensure that it had a strong endurance and because of its small body dodging was relatively easy. However, the boy did not want his Pokemon to be worn out just yet, so he watched looking for the weakness in such a powerful attack. Then he realised, when Scyther used slash attack it was able to fly, but now it seemed to need to have its feet firmly planted on the ground.

"Go higher, Golbat. Get out of the range of the attack," Ash called out.

"Gol," the Pokemon responded, slowly moving higher into the sky until the Scyther was unable to reach it. Though it did not stop it from trying.

"Supersonic," Ash ordered.

As the supersonic hit the quick attack, both moves cancelled each other out. If he could not get close enough it would not be able to use attacks like the bite or poison fang attack. Supersonic is not effective enough, so all he had was air slash.

"Double team," Janette suddenly said.

Instantly, instead of one Scyther, Ash and Golbat was seeing three. Great, he thought.

"Golbat, use air slash," Ash ordered. "Then follow it and use poison fang."

The purple bat-like Pokemon immediately sent two waves of power-drenched wind, which quickly destroyed the two fake Scyther one after the other. However, since Golbat was directly behind its own attack, hiding. Janette had no time to order a counter-attack.

Golbat sank its teeth into the bug and flying type before releasing and backing away from its opponent.

"No!" the girl cried out as Scyther began to stumble around. "Scyther double hit."

In a last burst of energy, the Pokemon took off from the ground and swiped at the bat Pokemon, catching it off guard. Both Pokemon then fell to the ground unconscious.

"Both Scyther and Golbat are unable to battle," the referee announced, raising both the red and green flags.

Ash secretly smiled, two down one to go. He then pulled out his next Pokemon as Janette did the same.

"Ponyta, I choose you," Ash said calling out his last Pokemon.

"Bellsprout, go!" the trainer said throwing her Pokeball.

Bellsprout? Ash wondered in confusion. Janette is a strategist, she would have saved her strongest Pokemon for last, yet here she was throwing out a Bellsprout. Although, upon looking at the shock and confusion of everyone else near the field, her plan soon came to light. She wanted him to underestimate her Pokemon. Sure it may look weak but if given the right sort of trainer this Bellsprout could be far stronger that Ash originally perceived it to be. So, he was not going to underestimate it.

"This looks like a desperate move for the young Fisher," the announcer said through the speakers.

"Bellsprout, get ready," Janette muttered to her Pokemon, staring at the much bigger and stronger fire type Pokemon.

"Ponyta, tackle attack," Ash yelled wanting to see what would happen when his Pokemon got up close and personal with the smaller flower Pokemon.

The fire horse Pokemon neigh and then charged head down, hooves clicking towards the grass and poison type. However, as it did, the Pokemon simply bent backwards as if doing the limbo, going right between the horse's legs, effectively dodging the tackle.

Ash bites his lip and ordered his Pokemon to tackle again resulting in a similar defensive move. So this is what makes Bellsprout her strongest Pokemon, he thought to himself. How can you grab something that is as slippery as soap?

As the flower Pokemon stood back up on its roots, Ash knew he had to think of a plan to keep this creature in place. After all, single-strike attacks can be easily dodged by this Pokemon's flexibility. No, Ash is going to have to use an attack that blocks the Pokemon from all sides. Luckily, Ponyta had an attack just like that.

"Ponyta, fire spin," Ash ordered.

Ponyta released a stream of red and yellow fire from her mouth. The fire curled around the Bellsprout and stretched towards the sky before turning into a tunnel of flames. The flower Pokemon soon began to panic in the burning heat of the flaming tornado as it began to squeeze it tighter and tighter.

"Bellsprout," Janette shouted, she had not even considered the fact that her opponent would have such a move in its repertoire.

Then the flames dispersed and Bellsprout collapsed on the ground, its eyes were circling in its head.

"Bellsprout is unable to battle. Victory goes to Ponyta and Ash Ketchum," the referee shouted.

"Yes!" Ash cried out. "We did it! We are in the Finals."

As the trainer's boxes went back down to the ground level and Ash took the opportunity to run towards his Pokemon with Pikachu on his shoulder. The fire horse Pokemon charged towards her trainer causing him to fall on his back and circumes to Ponyta's licking.


	44. Chapter 44: Revenge is Sweet

**Chapter 44**

The day after Ash's fourth round, Brock, Louise and he met his mum and Professor Oak. They had made the journey down as soon as they heard that both Pallet Town trainer had made it to the finals. It was a huge achievement to the guardians to watch their son/grandson reach the last stage of the Pokemon League. Unfortunately, Louise's dad was unable to get any time off work to join them at the competition, but the blonde haired girl understood. They needed the money since her mother died and some months were harder than others.

Ash's mum cooked everyone an extravagant meal, consisting of her sons favourite fried chicken and crispy roasted potatoes, in the restaurant of the hotel that the competitors were living in. Both Pokemon and humans received their food from the overprotective mother, as he and Professor Oak began to talk about his next match. All trainers who are proceeding to the next round are given two days rest, that is enough time to build a strategy and create various Pokemon teams.

"You know," the grey haired man said crossing his arms over his chest, watching Ash was dark silver eyes. "If you win your next battle you will be allowed to use up to six Pokemon per month. Have you decided which Pokemon you will choose?"

Chewing his food thoroughly before swallowing Ash said, "At the moment since I do not know who I am going to be battling, I am going to base my team around Pikachu."

"Pika," the yellow mouse questioned tilting his head towards his trainer. This was news to him.

"I mean, showed it makes sense right?" Ash continued. "Pikachu has been with me the longest. So, if I made a team around him I would, for instance, select a Pokemon that was strong against ground types because that is his weakness...Maybe Poliwhirl."

"That is a good plan," Professor Oak nodded his approval. Ash has shown that he could think for himself, despite what most of his friends in Pallet Town thought. He was too strong and determined not to be great at being a Pokemon trainer.

"Yeah, and you get to find out who your opponent is tomorrow," Brock intercepted.

After their meal the group took the elevator down to the ground floor of the hotel that they were eating was there that they can across Damien, who proceeded to give them a cold glare before striding off, two lackeys following behind him. Although, he could not help but notice that these lackeys were different from the ones that he had seen with the blue haired teen before. As far as Ash could tell the teen was exactly the same as when the black haired boy met him the first time.

That night Ash stared into the sky watching the stars and thinking of nothing in particular. He just wanted to take in the peace of the night. It was quiet, he thought, listening to the Pidgey and other nocturnal Pokemon wondering the world. After all, there was only one more day until he was to carry out the very thing he had been dreaming of since as long as he could remember.

Standing in the Pokemon Village Centre, Ash held a fishing rod in hand, hanging from one end of the line was a large red Magikarp with A-3 written on it.

"A-3," the receptionist said. "That means your next opponent is going to be Damien Tanner."

Ash grinned as he saw his picture pop-up next to Damien's linked by a single white line. On the other side of the challenger gride was Gary who was partnered up with someone named Micaela Shikha. So, Ash and he would not be able to battle each other until they made it to the semi-finals, that is if they win the next five rounds.

"Thank you," Ash nodded to the receptionist, before turning around.

His mind had already formulated a plan and a team, but to be honest, that was very easy. He was definitely going to use Charizard, Scyther and Shellder. However, he needs to ensure that each of his Pokemon had a chance to carry out their vengeance. Upon trading his current Pokemon for new ones, he then went onto the Pokemon League database to do his research.

"Loo," Brook said pointing at the screen. "He went all four rounds without losing any Pokemon. He just kept switching them out."

"So that is his strategy," Ash muttered to himself, although that did not stop his friends from hearing.

"Yeah and it is a dangerous one," Louise responded. "Do it enough and you may be sending an exhausted Pokemon into battle with a well rested one."

As Ash looked through the database he also realised that Damien has only used three Pokemon: Fearow, Onix and Gyarados. Even now he seems to be favouring the strongest, but brought strength won't defeat Ash and his Pokemon. So, with that information stored in his head, he went to bed.

"And now the match between Ash Ketchum and Damien Tanner will begin," the announcer shouted to the audience. "Ash Ketchum, who has quickly become a League favourite, has proven himself able to strategise and think on his feet. Damien Tanner, on the other hand, has blasted through his opponents defence round after round but will it work this time?"

"Ha," laughed Damien. "Of course it would. This match is going to be easy."

"Are you sure about that," Ash shouted across the dirt field.

"Trainers are you ready," the referee called out. "Then let the battle begin!"

"Onix, go," Damien said throwing out his Pokeball.

"Shellder, I choose you," Ash shouted at the same time.

"Onix, Tackle attack," Damien ordered.

"Withdraw," Ash then shouted back in response to the quick battle command.

As the rock snake roared and dived towards the small water type who had sealed its shell tightly closed. Have you ever tried to hit a Walnut with a hammer? Well, the result was kind of like that, except instead of getting crushed like weak ones, this Walnut was strong and popped out from under the hammer into the air. Of course, Shellder did take some damage, but it was minimal.

"Now, use water gun," Ash yelled as Shellder descended from the sky.

The black pearl-like Pokemon immediately opened its shell and water began shooting towards the rock and ground type. The power of the water attack causing Shellder to stay hovering in the air for a bit before falling to the ground with a dull 'clack'. Onix roared in pain as water drenched its head, pouring over its eyes, nose and mouth, then it smashed into the ground causing the whole stadium to rumble at the impact.

"Onix, Rock Tomb," Damien then ordered ignoring his Pokemon's pain.

Onix rose to its full height, grunting and groaning as it went. Then as the rock snakes body began to glow and large grey stones appeared.

"Supersonic," Ash told Shellder.

As the water Pokemon released a high pitch sound wave, which, when it came in contact with one of Onix's rocks, causes them to break up into dust.

"Urg," Damien growled under his breath. "Stupid Pokemon cannot do anything right." He then pulled out Onix's red and white Pokeball and ordered his Pokemon to return. "Fearow, go."

"Oh no you don't," Ash yelled. "Shellder, use icicle spear."

The water type Pokemon allowed its energy to shroud its body in energy, making it glow a baby blue colour, before opening her eyes wide and releasing spears of ice in every direction. They were thick, sharp and ice cold, making them the perfect weapon to attact its opponent. Fearow was taken off guard, not expecting an attack as soon as it was released. This was another disadvantage of Damien's strategy.

The normal and flying type was forced to land, which caused its trainer to become infuriated. "What are you doing? Get back into the air."

"Fearow," screeched the Pokemon as it spread its large orange-brown wings and took off from the ground. The movement caused a gust of wind and dust to swirl around its body as it took off.

"Use peak," Damien then said.

"Withdraw," Ash countered.

Once again Shellder's hard shell protected it from the powerful peak attack. As its long, pointed, pink beak cracked against the water Pokemon's casing. As Fearow withdraw ready to launch another attack, Ash shouted, "Now!"

Shellder quickly dived towards the Fearow in a tackle, hitting the aggressive Pokemon in the chest, damaging it even more.

"Fearow, return," Damien shouted. "Gyarados, go!"

"Quick supersonic, then icicle spear," Ash ordered knowing Shellder was becoming tired and losing energy.

Nevertheless, Shellder was fast to follow the commands, first by taking Gyarados off guard and then it caused damage by directly hitting the water and flying type. Of course, that did not stop the notoriously aggressive Pokemon one bit.

"Gyarados, crunch," Damien sneered.

Immediately, the fangs in Gyarados' mouth flowed purple and it lunged, sinking its teeth into Shellder. "Crack," the purple shell crumbled.

"Shellder!" Ash exclaimed in fear, sure he predicted that this would happen but seeing it unfold before his eyes were terrifying, especially the pain in the water Pokemon's eyes.

"Shellder is unable to battle. Victory goes to Gyarados," the referee said raising the red flag that indicated Damien had won that round.

Ash quickly returned Shellder and called out Scyther, informing Damien that both Shellder and this Pokemon were previously his. As the bipedal, insectoid Pokemon emerged its eyes narrowed into slits as he glared at Damien. He then took a battle stance, one knife arm drew back behind his head and the other partially crossing its body. "Scyther, scy," he chided his previous trainer and then grinned.

"Gyarados use hyper beam," Damien yelled using his Pokemon's strongest attack.

"Double team," Ash ordered and instantly there were two, then four Scythers standing in front of Gyarados, who looked back and fourth at its opponents.

With the hyper beam at full power, Gyarados sent the attack towards one of the fake Scythers.

"What!" Damien exclaimed after Ash's order. "Scyther does not know double team."

"He does now," Ash stated. "I trained him after all."

"Keh," Damien dismissed. "It has not been that long, Scyther is not that much stronger and it is definitely not as strong as Gyarados."

"Should we test that," Ash responded. "No switching it out when the going seems tough."

"Fine," barked the blue-haired teen.

Smiling Ash addressed his Scyther, "Quick attack."

In a blink of an eye, Scyther leapt up into the air and slashed at Gyarados' face before landing back on his feet and attacking the rest of its body. This was Scythers chance to prove to Damien that he is strong enough. He can be powerful enough to stop his strongest, most favoured Pokemon.

"Aqua Tail," Damien bellowed.

Gyarados' tail then glowed a sea green colour and began to whip its tail toward Scyther who dodged it with ease.

"Fury Cutter," retorted Ash.

If Scyther was fast before he was like a bullet now as the knives on his forehands glowed with energy, increasing the power of his attack.

"Dragon Rage, Now!"

"Finish it," Ash ordered.

Immediately, as Gyarados was building up its power Scyther attacked with an X-Scissor. The water and flying type roared with pain before crashing to the ground, unconscious.

"Gyarados is unable to battle. The winner is Scyther," the referee announced.

Damien called in his Pokemon, whispering dark words to it whilst it rested in its ball. He then sneered towards Ash and Scyther saying, "So Gyarados is weaker than anticipated. I will deal with it later."

"What?" Ash snapped. "Are you going to abandon it as well?"

This caused the audience to gasp in horror at what Ash was implying. It was illegal to abandon a Pokemon to the wild if you have been raising it for a certain period of time as it looses the ability to survive in the wild. It was also seen as unethical and was frowned upon by the majority of Pokemon trainers.

"Of- Of course not," stuttered Damien. However, he quickly regained his composure. "I would never abandon a Pokemon."

Ash snorted trying to stifle his laughter, "Well, I have three Pokemon with me who disagree with that statement."

"Onix attack," boomed Damien as he threw out one of his Pokeballs.

As the rock snake emerged Ash could not help but agree with Louise's statement. Onix was tired, it was easy to tell. The Pokemon is definitely weaker than when Shellder was battling it. This was because, despite it having time to rest between battles, it was still suffering from its injuries.

"Dodge and then use double team," Ash began. Then as the bug and flying type carried out the defence manoeuvres he continued by saying, "Now use X-Scissor whilst holding double team."

"Scy," eight Scyther's responded before preparing their chests they began to fly towards the Onix.

Confused, the rock and ground type had no idea which Scyther to attack until it was too late. The X-Scissor of the real Scyther cut Onix's joint causing the Pokemon to scream. It then collapsed unconscious on the dirt floor.

"Onix is unable to battle. Victory goes to Scyther," the referee called out.

"Scyther return," Ash ordered. "I have one more Pokemon who wants to meet you," he then told Damien.

The teen gritted his teeth, "Go Fearow!"

"Charizard, I choose you," Ash yelled.

"Charizard!" laughed Damien. "What happened to Charmander? Was he too weak?"

"No, actually," he smiled. "Charizard is your Charmander. He evolved."

"What? Impossible!" Damien yelled. "A weak Pokemon like him would not get that strong."

"Oh it is possible," the black haired boy sang.

"Charizard, flame thrower."

The orange lizard-like Pokemon roared in anger at the insult before releasing a burst of burning hot orange and yellow flames in the sky towards the normal and flying type.

"Razor Wind," the teen said.

As the Beak Pokemon flapped its wings causing the wind to become super sharp and filled with energy. The razor wind sliced through the flame thrower until it was completely ineffective. It seemed as if both Pokemon were at a stalemate at least until Ash shouted, "Smokescreen."

A dark cloud of black smoke was released from Charizard's mouth, blocking Fearows field of vision. The cloud 'easily concealed the fire types large body allowing it to get right under Fearow without being noticed.

"Razor Wind."

"Dragon Rage." Both Ash and Damien said at the same time.

As the normal and flying type began cutting away at the dark black cloud, reducing Charizard's hiding place piece by piece. However, before his form could reveal the flame on the end of his tail exploded increasing by ten time its normal size. Finally, the smokescreen dispersed unveiling Charizard. However, as soon as Fearow could see him the Pokemon releases the large red and yellow ball of flames it had in his mouth. Damien's last Pokemon was immediately consumed by fire.

Fearows form fell from the sky unconscious, "Fearow!" shouted Damien. "No, you get back up right now."

"Fearow is unable to battle. The winner is Charizard and Ash Ketchum," the referee announced.

"No! No! No!" screamed the teen.

"Well, it looks like Ketchum has done it again," the Pokemon League announcer stated. "However, it looks like Tanner is a sore loser."

With the crowd cheer Ash's name, two Officer Jenny's pulled Damien out of the arena reading him his seemed as if he was going to pay for abandoning the Pokemon he caught. After all, not only do they have Ash's conversation as proof, but they also have Shellders records at the Pokmon centre that he left it at.

"Good job, Charizard," Ash whispered to his Pokeball after he returned he creature to rest.

They were now in the Top 16, he smiled looking at the leader board. He let his eyes go to his picture which now sat next to a boy named Richie. He had blue eyes and auburn coloured hair and wore a blue, yellow and red cap in the same way that Ash did. Fingerless gloves covered both of his hands as he grinned at the camera that was taking his picture.

With the name of his next opponent, Ash ran back to his room with Pikachu on his shoulder. It was time to do some research. On the way, the black haired boy bumped into someone. Not wanting to seem rude he turned to apologise, his left hand scratching nervously behind his head, "Sorry about that-," he started but trailed off. "Hey, your Richie, right?"

"Er, yeah," the red headed boy said. "Who are you?"

"Oh, I am Ash," he said quickly. "I am your next opponent."

The boy in front of him grinned, "Excellent, then I have a feeling it will be a great match."

"Yeah, me too," Ash responded stretching out his hand.

Richie grasped Ash's hand in his and shook it. Little did these two know that it was also fate that drove them to this meeting. They were meant to go against each other, to pit their Pokemon against one another in order to see who will come out on top.

 **Well, I suppose you could say this is the beginning of the end of the first season of my Pokemon fanfiction. You guys, as my readers, have already voted for a different ending than I had imagined and the results are posted on the next 2 updates.**


	45. Please Read

**PLEASE READ!**

It seems that many of you do not like the ending with Richie and feel that Ash would have won against him since his Charizard would have listened. However, I would like to remind you guys that this fanfiction is set one year in the future, where Richie may have worked to evolve his Pokemon too and return stronger than last time. So, who's to say that Richie's Charmander has not evolved into a Charizard yet? As I watched the episode countless times, I really believe that in that instance that Richie should be the one to defeat Ash, since they were so much alike.

However, if you guys truly disagree with my reasoning and would like to see another ending, then I will put it to a vote.

Comment bellow saying yes or no to another ending and, if you say yes, please tell me what you would like to happen in the next few matches. You have until the 12/07/17 and then the voting will be closed and the majority will win.


	46. Result are in!

Okay so here are the results of the vote:

Ash wins against Richie but not easily 12

Richie wins 4

Yes, no expansion 10

Ash wins league or semi-finals 6

Ash loses in next round 3

Tie 2

Loose in top 8/4 4

So, in conclusion, it appears that Ash is going to win his match against Richie and will either win the league or the semi-finals. I stated that at the beginning of this fanfiction Ash would not win his first league, however, I am willing to let him win in the semis.

 **I ask that you be patient as I write you these chapters and as the end matches are of your voting any ideas are welcome. For instance, I will need ideas on who else Ash will face (I will need profiles and a Pokemon list of 3 different trainers). It would be a great help to me if you guys could do this as at the moment I am not sure what to do after Ash and Richie's match.**


	47. Chapter 45: Ash vs Richie

**Chapter 45: Ash vs Richie**

"And here we are in the top 16 of the Pokemon League," the announcer yelled through the speakers. "On the field, we have Ash Ketchum as the red trainer and Richie Samadi as the green trainer."

As the audience fixed their eyes on the two competitors they could see the determination come off of them in waves, just like how you can see the heat coming off the roads when the temperature is hot enough. It was visible, but only if you knew what you were looking at.

"Are you ready for your biggest battle ever?" Richie shouted from across the battlefield as he fingered one of his Pokeballs.

"I am ready when you are," Ash stated as he also grabbed one of his Pokeballs in hand. He could not help but smile at the boy he had spent hours talking to the evening before.

Richie then drew his arm back and threw his Pokeball shouting, "Go Happy."

As they got to know each other Ash had learnt many things about his opponent, including the fact that he named all of his Pokemon. He had Happy (Butterfree), Zippo (Charizard), Sparky (Pikachu), Skipper (Spearow), Bubble (Tentacool) and Izzy (Gloom), He thought it was a bit odd naming Pokemon like that but did not voice his opinion. After all, every trainer had a different style of raising and training their Pokemon. So, just because he did not want to name his Pokemon does not mean that other should not.

"Squirtle, I choose you," Ash said throwing out his Pokeball.

"Looks like it is Richie's Butterfree versus Ash's Squirtle. They will be going head to head to start things off."

"Happy use tackle attack," Richie ordered his Pokemon.

"Free," the butterfly Pokemon exclaimed as it shot towards the tiny turtle Pokemon.

"Dodge and then use water gun," Ash shouted quickly.

Squirtle immediately leapt to the side allowing Happy to shoot straight past him like a bull running by a Paseillo holding a red piece of cloth. Squirtle then turned around and shot a stream of water towards the buy and flying type. However, it missed.

"Happy use Poison Powder," Richie then shouted.

"Withdraw," Ash responded.

Instantly, Squirtle tucked its body into its shell, so that when the purple powder dusted over him it was ineffective. The dust simply tumbled off its shell onto the ground before vanishing.

"Now, tackle attack," he commanded.

"Squirt," the water type Pokemon replied and then dove towards its opponent.

"Go up Happy," Richie ordered ensuring that his Pokemon was out of Squirtle's reach. "Now use sleep powder attack."

The butterfly Pokemon flapped its wings more vigorously as light blue particles spread out all around the Pokemon before Ash could even open his mouth. However, his Pokemon knew better than to wait for his commands. Squirtle had immediately tucked itself into his shell for the second time in that match.

"Whirlwind, Happy."

Once again the butterfly Pokemon flapped its wings powerfully causing the wind to swirl rapidly around the tiny turtle's shell, becoming stronger and stronger until it began to lift off the ground. He then was being tossed around by the strong violent wind until he had n choice but to get out of his shell to stabilise his body.

Suddenly, after being thrown one hundred yards into the air, the whirlwind attack stopped and Squirtle crashed into the ground. "Squir," the Pokemon moaned before its head fell limp to the side and he became unconscious.

Squirtle was returned to his Pokeball as soon as the referee announced his defeat. Ash then quickly called out his Pikachu who was standing right beside him on the trainer's box.

The yellow mouse Pokemon immediately leapt into action and tackled the bug and flying type, pinning its body to the ground. It was obvious that the Butterfree was already getting tired. Maybe that whirlwind attack took more out of the Pokemon that it appeared to, or maybe Richie just overestimated his Pokemon's endurance.

"Thundershock," Ash told his Pikachu.

"Pika," the Pokemon nodded it's affirmative and flooded the butterfly Pokemon's body with the unmeasurable amount of electric volts that the Pokemon's body was able to generate.

"Happy!" Richie cried out but it was too late. The bug and flying type was soon unconscious, lying on its back. Dirt covered its body due to the struggle it had put up with Ash's Pikachu.

The referee raised the red flag saying, "Butterfree is unable to battle. Pikachu is the winner."

"Alright!" cheered Ash, as he punched his fist into the air.

"Looks like Pikachu just caused a Butterfree meltdown," the announcer said through hi microphone. "Now both battlers are one Pokemon down."

"Still got five more Pokemon left," Richie grinned. "Happy did a good job, but now it looks like I need to fight fire with fire."

Richie then threw out his next Pokemon shouting, "Zippo go!"

Pikachu gasped, his ears flattening on his head as he stared up at the draconic, lizard-like Pokemon. It was ten, or twenty times bigger than Ash's Pokemon, however, they knew better than to think that the bigger the Pokemon, the stronger they are.

"Flamethrower," Richie ordered.

The fire and flying type Pokemon's mouth was full of flames as it prepared for its attack. However, Pikachu easily dodged it with his agility causing the flamethrower to scold the ground that the yellow mouse Pokemon was previously standing on. This battle was going to be speed versus strength, that was obvious to Ash.

"Zippo, use fire fang," came the Charizard's next command.

"Iron tail, Pikachu," Ash called out.

So, as the large fire type let its mouth burn with the energy it then stormed towards Pikachu who had leapt into the air, rotated his body whilst building energy into his zig-zagged tail. However, just as Charizard was about to bite Pikachu, instead its sharp teeth sank into his Iron Tail attack. Do you want to know what happens when the teeth of a predator forcefully crunch down on a rod of cold, hard iron?

They shatter. To the gums, leaving nothing but sensitive flesh in the Pokemon's mouth.

Immediately, the fire type released Pikachu who landed on his feet meters from his opponent. Pikachu and Charizard were both panting now, growing tired.

"Smokescreen," Richie yelled.

Darkness enveloped Pikachu as the attack was released, blinding him. The yellow mouse Pokemon glanced around nervously, jumping to defence at every noise it heard.

Pikachu uses shockwave all around you," Ash ordered not sure what else to do.

"Pika!" the yellow mouse Pokemon shouted out with determination. He then spread his four legs apart and sent out a wave of electrical energy. Wave after wave but nothing happened.

It was not until the dark clouds disperse that Ash and Pikachu knew why. Charizard had been flying above the smokescreen, not even touching the ground. It was a good plan the black haired boy thought just before Richie called out, "Now!"

Instantly, the flamethrower that had been stewing in Charizard's mouth poured over the Pikachu. However, just before the Pokemon was barbequed he leapt out of the way, but the flamethrower kept coming. This caused the electric type to have to leap, jump and twist out of the way.

"Pikachu hand in there," Ash called out as he watched his Pokemon grow tired by being constantly on the move. Sure he had trained them to endure things like this but that was through running and climbing up hills. Nothing could relate to the real thing. However, upon looking at his opponents Pokemon it was clear that the Charizard was also losing energy as it continuously used flamethrower over and over again.

"Now, quickly Zippo," Richie started. "Use Shadow Claw."

"Pikachu counter with Iron Tail," Ash yelled as adrenaline pumped through his veins.

As Zippo built its energy into its right hand, the yellow mouse Pokemon leapt into the air, as high as he could. Pikachu then rolled forwards and allowed his body to fall tail first towards the fire type. Whilst doing this, the Charizard drew its hand back and then clawed its razor sharp nails forward.

The Shadow Claw and iron tail met in a clash of brilliant, blinding light, which quickly pulsed around the two Pokemon blocking them from view.

"Pikachu!"

"Zippo!" Both trainers shouted in fear of what had happened to their beloved friend.

"Amazing," the announcer yelled through his microphone. "Richie's Charizard and Ash's Pikachu seem to be evenly matched. Never before have I witness a Pokemon in its second evolved form defeat one in its last evolved form." Then as the light and cloud of dust disperse the voice continued. "Well, I'll be… It appears that the power of both the iron tail and Shadow Claw was enough to knock out both Pokemon.

It was true. Ash had watched the cloud that was blocking his view intensely, ignoring the announcer. He waits and watched until he could finally see two shadows within the dust. Both were laying on the ground unconscious.

"Pikachu and Charizard are unable to battle. This match is a draw," the referee announced, lifting both the red and green flags into the air.

As Richie recalled his Pokemon, Ash ran onto the field to cradle his Pokemon in his arms. After all, the electric type hated being inside his Pokeball so it would not be fair to put him into it now.

"You did good buddy," Ash muttered as he walked back to the trainer's box.

"Pi-ka," the mouse Pokemon responded weakly before nuzzling back into Ash's jacket.

The crowd shouted and applauded the amazing battle that they had just witnessed, reeling in anticipation of what was to come.

"Go Bubble," Richie yelled calling out his third Pokemon.

"Ivysaur, I choose you," Ash said a second later, throwing out his red and white Pokeball whilst trying not to jostle the exhausted Pikachu in his arms.

Bubble was a Tentacool, which is a Pokemon that resembles a box jellyfish. It has a light blue, clear body with two large transparent red crystals one each side of its body, and one small one in the middle. It has two eyes with black pupils and no visible irises near the base of its body.

"Bubble, use poison sting," Richie ordered.

"Dodge then uses takedown attack," Ash commanded.

As deep purple needles shot towards Ivysaur like season needles towards an enemy ninja, the grass and poison type leapt to the side and then ran until he was behind the water and poison type Pokemon. He then rammed his body into his opponents and pinned it to the ground.

"Now grab it with vine whip," Ash said.

Richie had heard Ash's order and quickly realised what his plan was. "Get out of there Bubble," he ordered, but it was too late. The Tentacool was trapped in the Emerald green vines, unable to get free.

"Lift it up and then bring it down to the ground," the black haired boy then stated and watched as his plan came together.

The vine whip allowed Ivysaur to sing Tentacool's body left and right slamming it into the ground at every turn. Each time the water and poison type received more and more damage, becoming weaker and weaker until Ivysaur was carrying nothing but dead weight.

"That is enough Ivysaur," Ash smiled in triumph. That was too easy.

"Saur… Ivysaur," the seed Pokemon responded and gently put down its unconscious opponent.

"Tentacool is unable to battle. Victory goes to Ivysaur," the referee then called out.

Richie gritted his teeth in frustration, "Bubble return." He then carefully selected his next Pokemon. "Go Skipper."

Skipper, a Spearow, is an avian Pokemon that is very small. It has rough plumage on its head and three brown tail feather. It has narrow, dark brown eyes with white pupils and a short, hooked beak.

Richie quickly ordered his Pokemon to use peak, which it carried out with confidence. It dived towards the Ivysaur without missing a beat, beak gleaming menacingly.

Without being asked Ivysaur dodged and stepped back, edging away from the barrage of peaking. The tiny bird Pokemon would just miss him every time.

"Razor leaf," Ash instructed, glancing down at Pikachu who was beginning to awaken from his healing sleep.

The grass and poison type immediately released a wave of sharp leaves which shot towards the normal and flying type. Although the Spearow easily manoeuvred itself around the attack. Letting the leaves fly past it like harmless leave blown around by the wind.

"Aerial Ace," Richie requested of his Pokemon. Skipper launched into the air, flying high above the grounded Ivysaur. It then dived down in a straight line, towards the earth fearlessly.

"Ivysaur, use leech seed," Ash exclaimed. "Quickly!"

It was after that order that Ash's Pikachu was fully awake. His yellow mouse Pokemon greeted him with a delighted "Chaa" before leaping out of his trainer's arms and onto his shoulder where his ears twitched and his eyes latched onto the battling in front of him. At least he had not missed much, the Pikachu thought.

The Spearow then pulled up just before its body smashed into the ground. As Skipper shot forward its body lit up with a fiery orange energy. However, before it hit Ivysaur, Ash's Pokemon released a brownish seed and sent it towards the tiny bird Pokemon. The seed then split open and small green vines wrapped around it.

The vines pulled the Pokemon's wings together, forcing it to crash to the ground, mere inches from Ivysaur, preventing it from carrying out its attack. Suddenly, Skipper cried out in pain as if it was getting electrocuted by them, but that was not what it was doing. The leech seed was, in fact, sucking out the Pokemon's energy.

"Skipper," Richie shouted. The Pokemon struggled with its bindings, unable to move. Unable to battle.

Now Richie only has two Pokemon, whilst Ash has four or maybe it is better to say he has three and a half since Ivysaurs two battle has taken its toll on both the Pokemon's energy and strength. Although, he was hoping Ivysaur would be able to hold out a little longer in order to weaken Richie's next Pokemon.

"Go, Sparky," Ash's opponent said upon throwing out his Pokeball.

Sparky was a Pikachu that looked exactly like Ash's with the electric yellow fur and red pads on its cheeks. However, the one difference between Ash's Pikachu and Richie's has a distinguishable scruff of fur on top of its head.

"Ivysaur," Ash yelled. "Razor leaf."

"Sparky use agility," Richie commanded.

Immediately, Pikachu charged Ash's Pokemon disappearing from one spot and reappear in another, which caused the grass and poison type to watch it in confused panic as the yellow mouse easily dodged the leaves.

Then when Sparky got close enough he tackled Ivysaur.

"No," Ash shouted. "Ivysaur!"

However, the grass and poison type were not ready to be defeated yet. He crawled back up to his feet breathing deeply as he did.

"Alright," cheered Ash. "Now use leech seed."

As the flower on Ivysaurs back flexed to produce the seed, Richie had Sparky standing at the ready. He was not going to let Ash win this match.

So when the Ivysaur released the seed Richie called out, "Wait for it… Now use the tail whip."

Suddenly, the Pikachu's tail was batted forward hitting the seed that Ivysaur shot back towards the Pokemon. Then the seed landed on him and opened, wrapping its vines around its caster.

"Ivy!" the grass and poison type exclaimed as it was caught in its own attack. He then fell to the floor as the energy was sucked from his body.

"Ivysaur is unable to battle. Victory goes to Pikachu," the referee announced, only for his voice to be drowned out by the booming one on the speakers.

"Amazing, it looks like Richie is not going down without a fight. However, it is quite a gap to fill. Ash had three completely healthy Pokemon, whilst Richie has one and one who has already been through a battle. It will be tough to catch up."

"Oh I will catch up alright," Richie said confidently. "You ready Ash!"

"Of course," the black haired trainer called back. Secretly grinning at the fact that Ash still has his strongest and most evolved Pokemon still active. Charizard.

After that, though Ash pulled out his next Pokeball. "Butterfree, I choose you," he said throwing the ball.

"Sparky use thunderbolt," Richie ordered as soon as Butterfree was released.

"Dodge it," Ash yelled. Immediately, Butterfree flew upward getting just out of the thunders reach. "Great, now use gust."

As the Butterfree vigorously flapped its wings, the wind violently whipped around Sparky, threatening to blow the small Pokemon away. So, in order to prevent that, Sparky dug his claws into the ground and pushed back against the strong wind.

"Sparky use Thundershock," Richie ordered his Pokemon who was currently struggling with the power of the gust attack.

As sparks of electricity zapped through the air straight towards the Butterfree that believed itself to be protected. It was not. The attack hit the bug and flying type he screeched in pain and convulsed. He was in pain but still, he continued. He stayed in the air despite the voltage that ran through his body.

"Butterfree use confusion," Ash ordered and immediately the Pokemon stopped its convulsing.

Glowing a bright white, the butterfly Pokemon eyes sought out the yellow mouse Pokemon. Sparky was caught in the captivating gaze and stared back until its mind went blank. Suddenly, the Pikachu moved, like a puppet on strings.

"Sparky!" Richie cried as the Pikachu began to run around and around, ignoring any orders he had spoken. It left him vulnerable to attack, forcing Richie to recall him and hope that some rest in the Pokeball wins be enough for the confusion to fade.

"Go, Izzy," yelled Ash's opponent after he recalled his Pikachu.

Izzy was a Gloom. A weed Pokemon. It was a blue, bipedal Pokemon with rudimentary hands and feet. It has orange leaves and reddish-brown flower growing from its head. The flow had large, rounded petals with white spots. This Gloom was female as it displays a single large spot on each petal, while males have more, smaller spots.

"Butterfree, use sleep powder," Ash commanded.

"Stay where you are," Richie stated confidently. There was no need for him to counter this move or dodge it.

"What!" Ash demanded, shocked. He could not believe that Richie was sacrificing one of his Pokemon, especially since the boy only had two left, whereas Ash has three.

So, as the butterfly Pokemon flapped its wings and released light blue powder from its body. The powder then dusted over Gloom and then… nothing.

"Izzy may not be good at dodging attacks but I made sure that she was immune to poison attacks like sleep powder," Richie told the black haired trainer.

Of course, Ash thought. How had he not thought of something like that? He could have trained all his poison types to be completely immune. It must have taken a while and a lot of insurance, but it was brilliant. A brilliant and amazing idea.

"Izzy uses sweet scent," Richie then ordered.

Suddenly, Butterfree's nostrils were filled with the most amazing scent he had ever smelled. Whilst the aroma was invisible, it was strong yet subtle, smelling of roses and jasmine blooming in the spring. It drew the butterfly to it, getting closer and closer, forgetting the battle it was currently in.

"No!" Ash shouted. "Butterfree, snap out of it."

As if waking up from a deep sleep, Butterfree groggily blinked. However, it was almost as if he could not be pulled away from his dreams and his eyes once again glazed over in bliss.

"Now, stun spore," Richie said as Butterfree flew closer and closer.

Still, in a daze, the bug and flying type was engulfed in a green mist. His body immediately seized and stiffened as Butterfree then dropped to the floor.

"Butterfree is unable to battle. Pikachu is the winner of this round," the referee announced.

"Do you see this," the voice said through the speakers that echo across the whole stadium. "Looks like Richie has managed to catch up with Ash after all. Now it is a two on two battle."

"Damn," Ash cursed quietly, only Pikachu hearing the word slip from his lips. H had had such an advantage yet Richie managed to close the gap between them easily. He had to admire the boy, after all, he did exactly what Ash would have done in that situation.

So, trading one flying type for another, Ash threw out his Pokeball. "Pidgeotto, I choose you," the black haired trainer called.

"Pidgeotto, tackle attack," he then continued.

"Poison powder," Richie yelled.

As soon as the purple spores were released from the weed Pokemon, Ash immediately ordered his normal and flying type to stop the close quarter attack. "Great now, wind cutter," he said.

The bird Pokemon's wings crossed over its body before slashing down, sending energised wind toward his opponent. It was the strongest attack Pidgeotto had in her repertoire. This attack was both fast and strong which meant, hopefully, Gloom would not be able to stand through it. Or at least that is what Ash hoped for.

However, it was as if the attack had slowed down and Izzy had sped up. It skipped away from the attack. Skipped!

"How?" Ash questioned in confusion.

"Just because Izzy is not good at dodging, does not mean that she cannot," Richie responded.

"Shoot," Ash muttered. He had done what he swore he would not. He had underestimated Izzy and made assumptions that he should not have. That Richie hinted at. With a sigh, the boy scratched his head, "Fine if you want to play like that," he said squeezing his hands into fists. "Pidgeotto, sand attack."

Immediately, the Pokemon dropped to the ground and used her wings to throw sand and dirt at the Gloom, blinding it. Izzy, unable to see, stumbled around.

"Izzy," Richie said. "Stay in one place and use Acid all around you."

From the grass and poison types mouth, a stream of purple acid shot out, much like a water type releases its water gun attack. The Gloom then pivoted on the spot, spinning around and around, intending to hit the Pidgeotto in its blind state.

Meanwhile, the bird Pokemon dodged and flew around the acid attack, unable to get closer to the Pokemon. She cried out every time the acid grazed her feathers, burning them. Her flying soon began to falter, as she dipped and struggled in the sky.

"Great," Richie grinned. "Now, use sleep powder to your one o'clock."

That had been Richie's plan to encaptivate Pidgeotto, slow down its movements in order to give Izzy a chance at hitting the normal and flying type whilst still blinded by the sand attack.

"Pidgeotto, get out of there," shouted Ash, but it was useless the Pokemon's wings were too injured to fly and its feet were too slow to dodge that amount of powder. No, the cloud was too large.

"Pidgeotto!"

It was too late. The bird Pokemon breathed in the cloud and collapsed face first onto the floor. Her feathers were covered in dirt, his breath came out silently, sleeping sounding.

"Izzy!" Richie yelled pulling Ash's attention away from his collapsed Pokemon to see his opponents Gloom still spinning around and around, making the Pokemon increasingly dizzy. Until it fell to the floor lightheaded.

"Pidgeotto and Gloom are unable to battle. This match ends in a draw," the referee announced.

"Maybe the spinning thing was not such as a good idea," Ash commented.

"It worked didn't it," Richie responded. "Though I did not want Izzy to get hurt."

"And now, with one Pokemon left each, this match will be the one to decide who will move onto the Top 8," the announcer informed the crowd.

"I choose you, Charizard," Ash shouted throwing out his Pokeball. The ball popped open releasing a blinding white light that burst from its container. The light then took the form of the draconic, bipedal Pokemon.

The Charizard roared, warning away anyone willing to fight with him.

"Okay Charizard," Ash said. "It is all up to you now."

"Sparky, go," Richie yelled. This may have been a risky move but it was the only move he had left.

Ash looked at Sparky, noting that the Pokemon had in fact recovered from the confusion attack but not from everything else. The electric type was still relatively tired from the last fight it was in.

"Charizard, use flamethrower," Ash ordered.

As the fire type opened its mouth and the orange flames bubbled in his throat, Richie said, "Dodge it with agility, Sparky, then use tackle."

Where there was a flash of flames, Pikachu vanished and then reappeared on the other side away from the attack. This happened over and over until Sparky was close enough. He launched himself at the Charizard slamming straight into his stomach, which rippled slightly, stopping the Pokemon from attacking.

"Scratch," Ash told Charizard.

With the Pikachu close enough to reach it was a reasonable move. However, the yellow mouse Pokemon continued to dodge as much as its small body allowed it. Sparky jumped over Charizard's claws and twisted around his wrists.

"Double team," Richie yelled.

Instantly, instead of one Pikachu dodging, there were two, then four, then eight. All of them jumping and twisting around causing confusion to flood through him.

"Thundershock," the red haired boy then said.

All eight Pikachu's began to spark and then shot their attack towards the orange draconic Pokemon. However, only one of the thundershocks were real. Soon after the attack seven of the eight Sparky's disappearing.

"Now, smokescreen," Ash ordered.

The black smoke came out of the orange lizard-like Pokemon's mouth, like pollution coming out of the exhaust of a run down car. It covered the air, blocking out the light like dark stormy rain clouds blocking out the sun. Sparky was blind, unable to see.

The yellow mouse Pokemon glanced from side to side. It was trapped. It was not sure whether his opponent was lying in wait inches from where he stood.

"Flamethrower!" Ash commanded his Pokemon.

Before the black cloud could disperse, the large fire type breathed a stream of yellow and orange fire into it. Suddenly, the cloud began to crack and the light of the flamethrower appeared to be trying to break free, like the sun trying to shine through the storm. Then… BANG!

The cloud exposed like a bomb had gone off, blasting the air outwards almost knowing both of them trainers off their feet. Sparky was also caught in the blast, flying backwards and skidding to a halt right in front of Richie. The Pokemon tried to climb to his feet but kept collapsing. He just was not strong enough.

"Pikachu is unable to battle. Victory goes to Charizard. The winner of the match is the green trainer, Ash," the referee said whilst raising the green flag.

"And he did it," the announcer boomed. "Ash Ketchum has made it to the Top 8 and what a battle it was to take him there. Richie Samadi may have lost but no one can call him a loser!"

Richie, for his part, took the defeat in stride. It truly was a good battle and they were practically kneck and kneck through most of their battling. So, as the crowd cheered and whistled their appreciation, Richie walked into the centre of the field, picking up his Pokemon as he went. He then stared at Ash with sad yet happy eyes.

"It was a good match," Richie told the black haired trainer.

"It was," Ash stated calmly, despite how much he wished he could shout to the star that he had made it.

"Well, congratulations Ash," the boy said holding out his pale hand that was clad in black fingerless gloves.

Ash stared at the hand for a moment in amazement, wondering whether he would be just as honourable if he had lost instead of Richie. He hoped so. Ash would hate to be the type of person who was a sore loser, who would not congratulate his opponent upon his defeat.

Laughing in surprise, Ash stretched out his hand, "Thanks, Richie." They stood there for a minute ignore the announcer as the voice prattled on about their battle.

"Just do me a favour will you?" Richie said. "Win the next match for me."

Ash grinned back at his friend, "Right, I will try my best."

In the crowd stood Ash's friends, family and Professor, they were clapping and cheering with the crowd excited for their loved one. When the young eleven-year-old went on his journey just under two years ago, no one would have expected him to get this far nor to become this strong. In fact, Professor Oak had heard lots of conversations about the bright and vibrant Ash Ketchum, most were negative. Hopefully, all of Ash's classmates would see him now.

"Hey Richie," Ash yelled across the stadium who was moving to exit from the other side. The red haired, blue eyed boy turned around to see the small person that was Ash, he appears to be half the size that he knew he was due to the distance between them.

"Yes, Ash," Richie called back.

"Are you going to stay," he said. "You know, to watch the rest of the League."

Ash's ex-opponent smiled, grinned really, "Of course, I have to make sure you keep to your word." Then they both walked in the opposite directions beaming from ear to ear.

* * *

 **Hey, guys, this is the next chapter, I hope you have enjoyed reading it. With the help of thehelpinghand, Llew444 and cruzcartoon, I am putting together some of the trainers that Ash will face. However, I will not be writing out all of them fully like I did in this chapter.**

 **Also, sorry for the format change. I have a new laptop so this is the format that I will be writing in now.**


	48. Chapter 48: The Winning Mistake (1)

**Chapter 46: The Winning Mistake**

After his battle with Richie, Ash and his Pokemon were pumped for what was to come. So, he quickly took his friends to the Pokemon Centre to be healed before treating them to some of the best Pokechow he could find. It was there at the village's restaurant that he met with Brock, Louise, his mum, Professor Oak and Richie.

"So, Ash," Richie started as their meals arrived, delivered by a woman with golden blonde hair and deep green eyes. "Have you found out who you are battling against next?"

"Yeah," Ash responded after swallowing a couple of mouthfuls of steak pie. "Someone named Assaunta."

"Assaunta?" Richie muttered.

"I will probably do some research when I get back to my room," Ash continued. "But from what I have heard she fights hard and fast, using mostly her Pokemon's strength in a battle."

"It is a good strategy," Professor Oak quipped. "But it also has plenty of flaws. I am sure you will be okay, Ash."

"Uh huh," Louise muttered deep in thought.

Brock seemed to notice the blonde haired blue-eyed girls blank, spaced out expression and asked, "What is wrong?"

This caused everyone's eyes to fall on her, causing her to blush a deep red. She did not want them to know that she was feeling unsure of herself, uncomfortable with is to come. After all, after the league is over what would they do? Would Ash and Brock go their separate ways leaving her alone and wondering what she would do next?

"It is nothing," she said brushing off her friends worry, to keep her own issues off the topic of discussion.

"It is nothing, tell us," Ash spoke up. "I know we have… I have been very busy with the league and have not had a chance to talk to you guys properly in a while, but you can say anything to us. I promise we will listen."

Sighing loudly, Louise stared down at an off coloured scuff mark on the yellow table. "It is just… I still do not know what kind of trainer I want to be yet and you two do. So, what am I going to do when the league is over and this journey is through?"

"Ash and Brock shared a knowing look before turning back towards Louise, "You will stay with us, of course!"

"Immediately, the girl looked up from the scuff mark, her eyes widening at the two boys. She could not believe it, she had thought that once they got home to Kanto that they would have left her behind!

"Really?" She asked in relief.

"Really," Brock said smiling at her.

Ash's match with the red head, Assaunta, was just as fierce and fast paced as he had expected. In the first round, Ash's Flareon defeated her Venomouth and then went on to win against Ivysaur – obviously not caring about type advantages. However, she got the black-haired trainer back by knocking out Flareon with her Spearows Aerial ace and then proceeded to do the same with Ash's Glaceon.

The next round was Spearow vs Muk, who managed to absorb the Spearows deadly air manoeuvre with hardly any damage. The normal and flying type was then shot out of the sky by a sludge attack. Assaunta then called out her Rhydon who proceeded to wipe the floor with the poison type Pokemon.

Now, Ash has called out his Jigglypuff whose small pink body was puny in comparison to the large male Rhydon. The fair and normal type shivered in fear but stood her ground. She had been trained to battle, so she must be strong.

"Okay, Jigglypuff, sing," Ash said grinning deviously.

As the Pokemon sang, focusing intensively on making only the Rhydon fall asleep, the large Pokemon soon fell under the spell. It's eye lids began to close and it stumbled around trying to stay awake. However, Jigglypuff's song was too strong and Rhydon collapsed in a big heap on the floor. Unconscious.

"Rhydon is unable to battle. Victory goes to Jigglypuff," the referee announced holding up the green flag.

"It is not over yet, Ketchum," Assaunta shouted, clenching her fists at both sides. She then took out another Pokeball, not even announcing what it was.

Her next Pokemon turned out to be a Tentacool, a water and poison type creature.

"Jigglypuff tackle using roll," Ash ordered using one of his combination moves.

"Hydro Pump," his opponent counteracted, a fire burning in his eyes.

As the pink round, Pokemon rolled fast towards the water and poison type, dodging two shots of the high-powered water guns, however, she was unable to dodge the third. The hydro pump smashed into Jigglypuff's body sending it flying and rolling to a stop in front of Ash.

"Try to get in for a double slap," Ash shouted.

"Jiggly!" cried the Pokemon with determination, before skipping over to the jellyfish like Pokemon.

"Tentacool, sludge wave!" Assaunta yelled loudly.

Instantly, a large torrent of purple and black sludge shot towards Jigglypuff like a thick wormy whip and crash down to the ground where the normal and fairy type had been moments before. This continued until Ash's Pokemon popped up directly in front of Tentacool and slapped him, stopping the poison and water type attack.

"Now, sing!" he yelled.

As soon as the Pokemon began to sing that was it. Assaunta's Pokemon did not stand a chance.

"Unbelievable," the announcer yelled over the referee. "Can anything defeat this Jigglypuff's song!?"

Assaunta went bright red in frustration. How could she be losing? She was using the strongest attacks her Pokemon knows, yet Ash's Pokemon seemed to dodge them easily. It was not fair, she had to win. She wanted to win so badly.

"Arbok go!"

Arbok is a serpent like Pokemon with purple scales all over its body. It has a large hood just below its head, which had a strange angry face patterned on it.

"An Arbok, huh?" Ash said mostly to himself. It was one type of Pokemon which does not have ears, but instead feels the vibrations of sound through its body. So, Jigglypuff's sing attack would not work.

So quickly the boy pulled out his Pokeball and returned the fairy and normal type, knowing when to admit defeat. Then he took out another ball and threw it, "Dugtrio, I choose you!"

"Trio," the three-brown mole-like Pokemon exclaimed.

"Arbok, coil," Assaunta shouted to immobilise the ground type Pokemon.

"Dig!" Ash yelled.

The diglett triplets dove into the ground, disappearing from Arboks view, effectively dodging the attack. The poison type Pokemon glanced around in confusion, unsure of where the Dugtrio would reappear.

"Screech," the female trainer commanded.

Immediately, the snake Pokemon moved its head towards the hole that Dugtrio had made when they went underground. It then began to attack, the high-pitched vibration was released from its mouth and aimed, causing the ground type Pokemon to leave the safe confined of the underground.

"Sand attack," Ash ordered.

Sand and dust began to kick up and caused clouds of debris, which effectively concealed the Dugtrio and blinded the Arbok. The snake Pokemon then began to thrash around.

"Arbok," shouted Assaunta. "What are you doing? Attack with Earth power."

"Dugtrio use tri attack," Ash yelled at his Pokemon as the tension began to build.

Instantly, both Pokemon lunged into action, carrying out the attacks at the same time.

Another dust cloud formed concealing the result from the crowd and the trainers. There were bangs and cries from the Pokemon and then there was silence. Even the audience held their breath as they wait for the dust to disperse.

Finally, the particles settled and the results were as clear as day. "Arbok is unable to battle. Victory goes to Dugtrio. Ash Ketchum won the match."

Cheering burst from the crowd as if a television was taken off pause. The sudden noise shocking Ash out of his happy stupor.

"We did it!" cheered the boy. He had won his sixth round. This meant he was in the top Eight.

XXX

If Ash had been told that he would be competing in the seventh round for fourth place he would not have believed it. Sure, he had tried hard to get where he was but never had he imagined getting this far. In the next round, he was going to a person called Ken Greene, he was at least four years older than Ash and had similar pitch-black hair, although his eyes were a light brown. According to the database, he specialised in psychic type Pokemon but mixed a few other types in there as well. For instance, some of his Pokemon were a Golbat, Fearow and Charizard.

His psychic Pokemon so far have been Alakazam, Drowzee and Slowbro. This would be very hard, Ash thought to himself, after all, he only had one ghost type Pokemon. However, it is not like he had not won a match that he was at a type disadvantage.

"So, Ash," Brock said interrupting the boy's thoughts. "What do you think?"

"Honestly?" Ash asked as his eyes brushed through the profile of his opponent. "I have no idea."

"I take it you are going to use Pikachu and Haunter?" Brock questioned and upon seeing his friend nod he continued, "Well then how about Umbreon?"

This caused Ash's eyes to light up, "That could work… and I could use Espeon in a psychic against psychic battle. Then I just have to fill in the gaps with Pokemon I have not used yet to get the element of surprise."

"What about Snorlax?" Louise announced from her spot on the carpet behind the boys.

The two turned around to stare at her in surprised confusion. Surprised because they had almost forgotten that the girl was in there with them and confusion because Snorlax was not exactly the smartest Pokemon to use.

Louise immediately blushed before saying, "I figured Snorlax will be something no one expects."

"Yeah, why not?" Ash agreed. After all, he had worked hard to put together a training routine and feeding routine to control his sleeping habits.

"Hey, where is Togepi?" Ash said turning his head from side to side but not seeing the baby Pokemon running around anywhere.

"Oh," Louise exclaimed as if she were just remembering. "Your mum took her to look around the village."

"Oh okay," Ash muttered, dreading what his mother would do to the poor fairy Pokemon.

XXX

"Our next trainers are entering the field for the eighth round of the Pokemon League Competition. In the red box is trainer Ken Greene, who has meticulously won every battle with his psychic type Pokemon. In the green box is Ash Ketchum, who had fought with a brilliant strategy, and a wide range of Pokemon types," the announcer's voice boomed across the stadium cause the crowds to scream as each trainer emerged from the other sides of the field.

The field like all the ones after the fourth round was an average, flat dirt field. This made it easier for all types of Pokemon to battle without having a disadvantage, meaning that only strength and strategy can help a trainer win this.

"Let's seen what you got a kid," Ken yelled over the field. His voice was much lower than Ash's indicating that the boy had already hit puberty. So, he obviously had more battling experience than the twelve-year-old trainer had.

The black-haired boy frowned at the word kid but shrugged it off. This could be his opponent's way of distracting him. So instead he grasped a Pokeball and threw it out shouting, "Espeon, I choose you!"

"So, that is how you are going to play it," Ken said to the boy. "Alakazam to the battlefield!"

"Okay, Espeon, tackle attack," Ash ordered.

The slender legged and dainty pawed psychic type Pokemon charged towards the Alakazam, her spine flexing and then springing out causing her quickly breach the distance between the other psychic type and herself. Ash was proud of how well his evolved Eevees had taken to the training he had given them.

"Teleport," Ken Greene yelled and immediately the humanoid Pokemon vanished from its spot leaving a confused Espeon in its original spot and then reappeared behind her. "You will have to try better than that."

"Swift," Ash then tried.

However, the move was shut down as the red trainer called, "Kinesis." The move controlled the swift attack just seconds before it hit the Pokemon, but those seconds were all it took to send the attack of course. "Do you really think that was going to work?" he then said. "Honestly, what are you thinking?"

Ash was getting fed up of the rolling commentary but still tried his best to control himself. He would not let his anger and annoyance get the better of him.

"Maybe it is the time I start attacking?" Ken said, asking the question to Ash. "I think you will be very surprised at my Pokemon egg move… Alakazam, fire punch."

Instantly, the Alakazam moved from its meditation position and pulled back its fist as it ran towards Espeon. The first quickly lit up and then ignited with yellow and orange flames.

"Dodge it and then uses quick attack," Ash called out feeling his heart thump rapidly in his chest. He was so nervous.

Espeon leapt to the side at the last minute but before she could go on the next attack, Alakazam did something very unexpected.

As Ash's Pokemon dodged, Ken's Pokemon moved and twisted with her, so as soon as her feet landed steadily on the ground Alakazam's fiery fist connected with her face. The Eevee evolution cried out in pain and dropped to the floor only to quickly shake it off and leap a distance away from her opponent.

"Confusion," Ash shouted seeing that his Pokemon was still available to fight.

This fight went on of a little longer, with Alakazam's trainer throwing advice such as 'you should be more offensive' or 'you could have easily dodged that'. It wore off the boy's nerves but he was determined to not let it get to him. Even when eventually as his opponent shouted, "Use Psybeam!"

The Psybeam was created as it crossed its two spoons together in front of its forehead. The attack quickly shot at the Espeon, who had laid on the ground and had no way to escape.

"Espeon is unable to battle. Victory goes to Alakazam," the referee yelled for everyone to hear.

Ash thought for a bit, before throwing out his red and white Pokeball shouting, "Haunter, I choose you!"

"I will let you have the first move," Ken said graciously.

"Thanks," Ash smiled suspiciously. He then stuck out his right hand, pointing his finger at Alakazam and ordering, "Haunter use lick."

As the ghost and poison type moved closer to the Pokemon, he allowed his tongue to dangle out of his mouth.

"Kinesis," Ken said in a bored tone.

Instantly, as Haunter moved to lick the Alakazam his body began to glow and he was tossed to the side. Ken laughed almost mockingly as Ash silently cursed in his head.

"Why would you do a short-range attack like that?" He scolded. "You should have used something more long range since you knew that my Pokemon could use Kinesis."

"What you mean like this?" Ash questioned before turning to his Pokemon and saying, "Haunter use mean look and then confuse ray."

Haunter eyes soon began to glow a hauntingly deep purple as his mouth opened slightly revealing blood red flesh inside. It sent chills down the psychic type Pokemon body causing it to tremble. Then as the ghost and poison type paralysed his opponent in fear, he slammed his palms together and then slowly pulled them apart showing a glowing ball of energy. The energy built and built until it shot out in a straight line towards their opponent.

Alakazam could do nothing but gasp in shock as its body was consumed in the multicoloured light before dropping to the ground.

"Alakazam is unable to battle. Victory goes to Haunter," the referee announced raising the coloured flag that represented Ash's side.

"Not bad. Let's see what else you got," Ken Greene smiled towards his opponent. "Slowbro to the battlefield!"

* * *

 _ **The opponents that Ash has been battling in this chapter we created with the help of thehelpinghand and Llew444. Thanks so much for the help, I hope I have written them to be as you imagined they would be...**_


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